The Calm After the Storm
by Lily669
Summary: Now that the hostages are back home, they are trying to return to their normal lives again. However, it won't be easy. Especially with Arthur Trent around now.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: The Calm After the Storm is my first story. Constructive criticism is welcome. I hope you enjoy it!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any part of the 39 Clues.**

"They're here!"

Immediately after the cry, eleven Cahills bolted towards the door. When they opened it, they were met with the, now former, hostages.

"Nellie, Uncle Fiske!" shouted Amy, running towards them with Dan following.

"My kiddos!" Dan was relieved that Nellie and Uncle Fiske hadn't changed a bit. Even though Fiske was not one for hugs, he hugged the three as if his life depended on it.

"Mom, Dad, Madison, Hamilton!" Reagan ran over to her family and tackled them with a group hug. Eisenhower Holt felt a burst of joy and relief in his heart when his little girl ran towards them with so much energy that it would've made Buchanan Holt proud.

"Ian!"

"Natalie!" The two siblings hugged, and this time, Ian wasn't ashamed that tears were pooling and running down his face.

"Ted, Uncle Alistair! I'm so glad to see you!" Sinead and Ned rushed over to the two and even though Ted was the handicapped person out of both, it was he that led his uncle towards his overjoyed siblings.

"Cuz!"

"Oh my baby!" cried Leila Wizard. She engulfed Phoenix in a hug, with Jonah hugging them both.

After ten minutes of emotional reunions between the seventeen Cahills, they entered Grace's mansion and sat in the spacious kitchen.

"I hope you're going to uphold your promise of the sushi," remarked Natalie to Nellie," because I am absolutely famished."

Nellie smiled. "Sure thing, Nat. Now that my shoulder's all fixed up, I can get back to cooking again. Sashimi here I come!"

After the six hostages had been rescued, all of them had been admitted to Boston General Hospital to fix any damage that had been done. Since the doctors and nurses that treated them were Madrigals, no questions were asked by hospital staff.

"Um, I don't really like sushi. Can I have some cookies instead? I really missed eating them," said Phoenix timidly, uncomfortable with the many unfamiliar faces around the table.

"Of course you can!" Leila Wizard turned to Nellie. "Do you have any cookies here? His favorite is-"

"Oreos. I know."

"How did you know that?"

"When you're trapped by homicidal Vespers in a cube cage, you tend to talk to pass the time."

"Then it's settled," said Ian," we'll have sushi for dinner tonight. And some caviar perhaps?"

He looked to Natalie for an answer. "Yes please."

"I'll go with you to buy the supplies Nellie." Amy got up as well and started for the door, but stopped short when she noticed something.

"Hey, where'd Jake, Evan, and Atticus go?"

"Atticus and Jake went to see their dad and I don't know where Evan went. Probably being his usual geeky self on a computer."

"Dan, you are _such _a dweeb." said Amy, rolling her eyes.

Nellie laughed. "Gosh I miss you two and your constant squabbling."

"Am I supposed to take that as a compliment?"

"Oh come on Dan, let's go shopping." Nellie rose from her seat and started towards the door.

"You coming Nat?"

"Why would I want to go grocery shopping? If you ask me, that should be left to the servants. I don't want to go to a place where peasants accumulate by the dozens and go through the food with their contaminated hands."

Nellie sighed. Natalie hadn't changed a bit. Not even after the traumatizing experience. Once a Kabra, always a Kabra.

* * *

After an hour of sorting sushi ingredients into the refrigerator and kitchen shelves, Nellie, Amy, and Dan laid on the lounge chairs beside the pool.

"I'm exhausted," sighed Amy.

"Yeah me too. Who knew finding swordfish would take five grocery stores."

"It wasn't that bad. If you were a cook you would understand."

"Nellie, a crab almost pinched my toe off."

"Fine, it was that bad. But it was your fault first. You are NOT supposed to aggravate animals with huge pincers. Especially with sticks and shouting 'OBEY THE FORCE!'. "

"Hey, what can I say? I was born to annoy the heck out of people...and crabs." "True that," said Amy.

"Well, the fish aren't going to cook themselves," Nellie jumped out of the chair. "LET'S COOK!"


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **

**To all the people who reviewed, thanks! :)**

**Candyloversunite 15: Thank you! The story's going to be about how all of the Cahills are trying to adjust back to their normal lives again, so in a sense I guess it's going to be a "getting back together" story. I'm not sure about having other pairings right now. For the seven hostages thing, oops, my mistake! **

** .Smile: Thanks a bunch! There's going to be Amian in this, but not Danatalie. Sorry, the computer wouldn't let me type your full user name for some weird reason I don't know about. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own the 39 clues. **

**Chapter 2:**

"Hey Evan, where are you?"

"Oh, hey Ames. I'm at home. My parents won't let me get out of their sight after they found out I lied about going to that study group for Harvard."

"That sucks. I'm sorry for dragging you into this."

"No, it's fine. I signed up for all this Cahill business myself remember?"

Amy smiled. "You're the best Evan."

"You too." A few moments of awkward silence passed before Amy spoke again.

"Will your parents at least let you come to dinner at my place? It's going to be a huge celebration with the hostages home now. It'll be really fun. That is, if you ignore Dan's complaints about how hard it was to find Beluga caviar and how expensive it cost."

"So it's just you and the rest of your family?"

"...No. The Rosenblooms are coming over too. After all, they did help us find out who Vesper One was."

"Oh, I see. Sorry Ames. I won't be able to make it."

"That's okay. I hope you'll be able to come over soon though."

"I probably will."

"Love you Evan."

"Bye Amy." Amy put down her cell-phone.

_Is it just me or did he seem a little cold on the phone?_

* * *

"_OW!_"

"Hold still Ian!"

"WHY must you use this concoction on me every time!"

"I told you, it's effective for cuts and blisters. Sinead and I use it too. It isn't that bad."

"For you maybe," Ian retorted. "My skin has never been subject to this kind of brutality before! Back in London, we used a soothing cream to disinfect our cuts!"

"Well, too bad. We're not in London," replied Amy," and who told you to go near the crabs anyway?"

"I just wanted to give a helping hand."

Amy drew back and stared at him. "Ian Kabra wanting to give a helping hand in a not so dire situation?"

"I've changed you know."

"Really?" A mischievous smile spread across Amy's face. "Well then I suppose you wouldn't mind helping me cut the swordfish."

"WHAT? Are you insane? I'm not going near that disgusting, scaly-" He stopped short when he saw the smug look on her face, as if it read 'I knew it.'

"Very well," he said stiffly. "I will assist you in scarifying the fish."

"Thank you," said Amy, smiling at him as she turned toward the cutting board.

At this, Ian felt that same flutter again. The same feeling he had felt in Alistair's secret library. Except this time it was much more vivid. _No, stop it, _he thought to himself, _she has a boyfriend remember? She won't accept you_ _anymore. Not after what happened with Mum a year ago. _

"You know, we owe you a lot."

"Huh?" Ian snapped out of his thoughts.

"When you were in Argentina. You helped us locate where the Vespers were holding Fiske, Nellie, Natalie, and the others. Without you, they wouldn't be in the living room right now, arguing over whether the Beluga caviar was really necessary or not."

"About time someone thanked me. I didn't ruin my custom tailored pants for nothing you know."

Amy laughed. "So were you just in Argentina looking for the hostages? Did Isabel give you a hint as to where they were?"

Ian set down the knife. "No. I didn't know she was a part of the Vespers then. I just wanted to see if it was all real. AidWorksWonders that is. It wasn't that much of a surprise when I found out it was all a scam. "

"Oh."

A moment of silence passed. "I also...met someone when I was in South America."

"Who?"

Ian hesitated a few seconds before saying, "My father."

"You mean, Vikram Kabra?"

"Yes. I ran into him when looking for supplies."

_A Few Weeks Ago. Argentina. _

_"What are you doing here?"_

_Ian jumped and spun around to meet the person who addressed him. He jumped again when he saw who it was, but regained his composure in a matter of seconds. _

_"My actions don't consider you anymore, Father." Ian said the last word scathingly. "Ever since you disowned us, I don't think anything related to us concerns you."_

_"I was merely curious as to what you were doing in a dilapidated village such as this one."A pair of hard, amber eyes bored back into an identical set of amber eyes._

_"You don't even care," sneered Ian," You disowned Natalie and I. You probably don't even know that she's been kidnapped."_

_Vikram's face remained unchanged. "As a matter of fact, I do know. I still have informants in the Lucian branch."_

_"I wonder why they even passed that onto you. You wouldn't even move a finger to help anyway." Ian gripped his water-bottle so tight that it looked like it was going to burst any moment. _

_"As a matter of fact I would." _

_"W-what?" A shell-shocked Ian looked at his father._

_"Honestly, stuttering? That Cahill girl has rubbed off on you." Vikram shook his head, making the tsk sound. "I would like to assist you in finding Natalie and I presume the others as well?"_

_"But why?" asked Ian, disregarding the barb. _

_Vikram shrugged. "I have my reasons."_

_"I want to know why!" barked Ian, turning angry. "You went into hiding like a coward after Mum got arrested for murdering Amy's parents and disowned us! You've made no contact with the Cahill family for the past two years!"_

_"I want you to just trust me Ian." His face remained expressionless. _

_Ian laughed. "Trust? You have got to be joking. You drank part of the Lucian serum. I don't think trust should be applied to you anymore."_

_"I just want to bring Natalie home and silence Nataliya from constantly hankering after me that even though I have disowned you both, you still have Kabra blood in you."_

_Ian contemplated this for a moment. His father had already drank the partial serum. His skills of strategy, scheming, and code breaking had been enhanced ten-fold. If the Cahills had his help, Natalie could be liberated faster. She would be home and not be in the clutches of the merciless Vespers. They had shot Nellie without hesitation. No doubt they would do the same to Natalie as well. However, it was risky. What if his father was working for the Vespers? What if he was being lured into a trap right this very moment? _

_Ian thought for another moment and decided. "What do you propose?" He hoped his decision would not lead to the downfall of the Cahill family._

Back to present time:

"So what happened next?"

"He told me all he knew about the Vespers and after that, I left to find more clues as to where Natalie and the others were being held."

"Oh. I see."

"He's still a despicable man though. He's got blood on his hands. I would've turned him in, but it was part of the agreement with him to not to in exchange for information. I should've done the correct thing." His head hung low as he moved on to cut the fish open.

Amy out her hand on his shoulder. "No Ian. You did do the right thing. Without Vikram's assistance, you wouldn't have found the hostages location. And he can't be all that bad if he helped you rescue Natalie."

Ian turned to her. "He killed your parents Amy. How can you still say that?"

Amy sighed, taking her hand off his shoulder. "Make that one parent."

He blinked, confused. "Confused? So was I. Turns out my dad didn't die in the fire. "

"What! No one informed me on that when returned!"

"He told Dan and I that he escaped the fire to assist us in the future." Amy took a deep breath. "A-and he said that he couldn't rescue Mom. H-he told us that she told him to go. That we would need him, and that sacrifices needed to be made."

She wiped off the tears beginning to form in her eyes. "I still can't decide whether to believe him or not."

Ian looked at her with concern. "I thought there were two bodies in the fire?"

"He told us that it was a Vesper assassin sent by the previous Vesper One. According to him, the assassin was ordered to kill him and Mom in case things didn't work out with the fire. "

"Wait. Are you saying that when Mum set the fire, it was already planned out to go along with the Vespers plans?"

"That's what Dad said."

"..."

"Do you think I should trust him Ian?" She looked up at him again. He was startled by how vulnerable she looked. In the previous days before, he'd only seen her with a face of a leader. Stoic and determined.

"I'm not sure. Didn't Dan mention that he was involved with the Vespers himself before?"

She nodded. "My thoughts exactly. "

"Maybe you should confer with Fiske."

"Yeah."

"Well then, " Ian said in a cheery tone in an attempt to lighten the mood," we'd better get back to the fish. Wouldn't want to delay the reunion dinner."

Amy smiled up at him. "You're right."

Now Ian was positive that he would get rid of the Tolliver boy. After all, he could make her so much happier that that peasant could. Couldn't he?


	3. Chapter 3

**I don't own the 39 Clues.**

Atticus nudged Dan in the ribs.

"Hey, who's that girl over there?" He nodded towards a certain amber eyed girl.

Dan snapped his head up from his phone, as if he'd been caught doing something he shouldn't have been. "What?"

"Who's she?" This time he pointed. Good thing Natalie was talking to Reagan or she would've noticed.

"Oh, her. That's Natalie, Ian's little sister."

"She's pretty."

"I guess." Dan returned to his phone again.

"What's so important on that phone anyway?" Atticus leaned over to take a look, but not before Dan closed whatever he was looking at and put his phone in his pocket.

"Nothing. Just...Cahill stuff."

Atticus looked at him suspiciously. "Okay."

"Why do you want to know about Natalie?" asked Dan, changing the subject.

"I was just, you know, curious." Atticus bowed his head down.

Dan smirked. "I can tell you're lying." he said in a singsong voice.

"I'm not ly-"

"DINNER'S READY!" shouted Nellie, poking her head through the living room door. "DELICIOUS SUSHI ON THE TABLE!"

-ing!" Atticus finished.

"Yeah, sure you weren't." Dan said, still smirking at his friend's discomfort on the subject. He got up from the couch and started for the dining room.

* * *

Dan and Amy had tried to rebuild the dining room with as much resemblance as possible to the previous one. Except this time, the windows were bullet-proof. He had spent a month tracking down the wood worker who had carved Grace's dining room table. Unfortunately, he had already passed away by the time he was able to make contact with the shop in Sweden. However, his son had taken over and he produced exquisite pieces of furniture just like his father had.

He ran his hand along the 20 foot long mahogany table, remembering faint memories of the last time he had dinner with Grace.

He took a seat next to the head.

Amy went to sit next to him, but Fiske interrupted.

"Oh no, Amy. I believe you sit here now." He motioned toward the head chair.

Amy blushed, but nevertheless went to sit at the aforementioned chair.

Fiske took the seat all the way opposite her chair with Nellie sitting next to him.

Jake made a move to sit on the other seat next to Amy, but Ian beat him to it. He shot a pointed glance at Ian and went to sit next to Atticus, who was sitting next to Dan.

Ian ignored the glance, and smiled at Amy instead, which infuriated Jake even more.

In order, the seating was Amy at the head of the table and on her left was Ian, Natalie, Sinead, Hamilton Reagan, Madison , Jonah, Phoenix, and Leila Wizard. On her right was Dan, Atticus, Jake, Ned, Alistair, Mary-Todd, Eisenhower, Broderick, and Nellie. Opposite Amy was Fiske.

On the table laid heaps of sushi prepared by Nellie, Amy, Ian, and Jonah.

Hamilton whistled. "That is _a lot _of food."

"Then you'd better eat up," Amy said, laughing," because it took us five hours to make."

"Ay, ay captain." Hamilton reached for a platter of eel and avocado sushi, but it wasn't for him.

"Eat up sis." He handed it to Reagan.

"Thanks Ham." She stuffed three into her mouth at once.

"Mmmm," she said with her mouth full. "Good food."

"The Vespers didn't feed us anything but carbohydrates for two weeks straight." Natalie shuddered.

"The horror." Dan rolled his eyes.

"Here Natalie." Amy reached for a platter of sushi with rice outside the seaweed. The rice was covered with a few sesame seeds and the filling contained blue lobster meat, king crab meat, and avocado. Sprinkled on top was the Beluga caviar.

"Ian told me this was your favorite sushi."

"Thank you," she said, "and not just for this." She gestured at the table. "For everything. I know you might find it unusual to find a Kabra apologizing-"

"Tell me about it," Dan muttered.

"-but if it weren't for you and Dan, I would still be stuck in that god forbidden cell with that ugly lizard the Vespers refused to remove."

"Hey! That lizard helped us identify where you were!" piped up Sinead.

"Whatever." And back she goes to being the usual Kabra.

**So what do you think about Atticus' little crush? Hate it? Love it? Neutral? Leave your comment in a review! I want to know what you think! **

**Oh and for the people who absolutely abhor it, because I know there will be some, don't worry it's just a little crush. I'm not going to make them start dating or anything like that. **


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Fastest update ever! Well, so far. It's the weekend and I got bored, so I just kept writing, and writing, and writing. Thank you to Person and Candyloversunite15 for reviewing! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own the 39 Clues**

After Natalie's mini speech, everyone dug in.

Jake had already set his eyes on some Philadelphia rolls, while Amy chose the cucumber ones.

"This is really tasty!" Dan said, shoving some Boston sushi into his mouth.

"Would you keep your mouth closed?" exclaimed Jake as some rice came spewing out of his mouth.

Ian raised an eyebrow. "What are you exactly Rosenbloom? His mother?"

"HA! That's funny. That's what Jake asked Amy in the hotel in Turkey. What a coincidence!" Atticus started laughing really loudly, pounding his hand against the table.

"Right?" he turned left and right, trying to get someone to laugh with him. Instead everyone just looked at him strangely.

"Are we sure he's mentally stable and shouldn't be locked up in a psychiatric ward?" whispered Natalie to Ian.

"We're sure."

Jake narrowed his eyes at Ian when he wasn't looking. _So this is the competition? Better up my game plan. _

"Here Amy, some smoked salmon." He handed her some, faintly remembering that she had mentioned she liked the fish. Obviously he had heard wrong, when he saw the cringe on her face.

"Amy doesn't like smoked salmon." Ian handed her a plate of California rolls. "What she favors is this one. Am I right?"

"Yes, you're right. Wow, I can't believe you actually remembered that. I mentioned it to you like a year ago."

"Two weeks and a year to be precise. When you invited me over for Christmas." Ian flashed her his Level Two smile: Charming. He had made sure to use the 'you invited' part.

"Still remember when Saladin ripped your sweater and you went on a two hour rant about how we should send him to the pound?" Amy smiled back at him.

"How could I forget?" He fingered his sweater as if to see if it was still intact and that Saladin hadn't gotten to it when his head was turned. "Where is that blasted cat anyway?"

"HEY! Don't call Saladin 'blasted'!" Dan exclaimed. "Anyway where is my little poochiekins?" He said this with exaggerated sweetness.

Dan got up and lifted the cat from the floor, interrupting his feast of red snapper and shrimp.

"Mrrrp!" went an annoyed Saladin.

"Want to say hello to the wittle Cobra?" He lifted Saladin near Ian's face, across the table. "Come on, don't be shy Ian!"

Now Saladin was downright furious to be interrupted during his dinner. He started hissing and jumped out of Dan's hands, landing in Ned's bowl of cold miso soup, which then splashed onto Sinead, Hamilton, and Alistair.

"DAN!" Sinead jumped out of her seat.

"What did you just do?" said Amy, her eyes wide in horror.

"This feels disgusting." Hamilton shook his hair, forgetting for a moment that it would splatter the people around him.

Sinead shrieked. "Hamilton, you dolt! Oh, now my spy-wristwatch is beyond repair!" She stomped away, leaving a stunned audience in her wake.

A moment of silence passed.

"I do believe I need a change of clothes," said Alistair.

* * *

After the three had cleaned up, the table cleared, and apologies made, Dan receded to his room and locked himself in his private bathroom. That was one of the benefits of having your own mansion.

He didn't lock himself in the room because he was ashamed of what had happened earlier though. There was some business he had to take care of.

He opened his phone again and peered at the screen.

_One tube of melted zinc. Order finalized. _

Even though he had gone through the whole Vespers ordeal without the serum, there was no saying if they would make a comeback or not. And if the Vespers were anything like the Cahills, he knew they would. Someday. That was why he had to be ready.

_The last ingredient for the serum, _Dan thought as he removed a tile from his bathroom wall, revealing a small metal key. He then took the key and removed another tile, this one from the floor. It revealed a secret safe. He inserted the key, twisted, and opened the safe door. It revealed 38 _very _special components.

_Just one final ingredient and I'll be the most powerful person in the world. Powerful enough to get rid of anyone or anything that'll threaten my family ever again._

**I just finished reading _The Dead of Night_ and when I found out that Ian had a smile scale, I cracked up. So I decided to incorporate it into my story. :) **


	5. Chapter 5

**I don't own the 39 Clues. **

"You do realize you won't be able to hide from them any longer." Fiske spoke to a man obscured in the shadows.

It was a windy night in the gardens. The scene made the man look more ominous.

"They're not children anymore. They'll be demanding answers soon, and if they're not answered, they'll look for it themselves."

"I have some business I need to take care of first," the man said, turning around.

"I advise you to speak to your children first Arthur. You've only communicated to them through text messages so far. Don't you think it's time for a face-to-face talk?"

"We _will _have that talk. Just not now. I have to take care of something in Brazil."

"What is exactly so important in Brazil?"

"The man who murdered my wife, that's who," Arthur spat.

"Arthur, don't do anything rash. If you murder him, the whole Lucian branch will be on you."

"I'm not going to murder him. I certainly want to though. I just need to have a little chat with him."

"A chat with Vikram that's more important than your children." Fiske shook his head.

"Don't judge me, Fiske. They still need to settle down more before I go talk to them in person anyway. If you would be so kind, would you charter a plane for me to Brazil?"

Fiske sighed. "Oh very well."

He took out his phone and made a call to Madrigal headquarters. After a few minutes, he said to Arthur, "The plane will be leaving in an hour at Logan Airport. You'd better hurry."

There was no answer though. Fiske turned around. "Arthur?" But he had already left.

Fiske chuckled. He was still as good as he was back in the good old days.

* * *

Evan fingered his phone, wanting to call Amy, but not wanting to. His head churned with thoughts about their strained relationship.

_It's all Ian and Jake's fault. If they hadn't showed up we would still be sitting in her garden talking about the latest books._

He remembered Amy constantly calling back to the command center, checking in on Ian and how she had hugged him and kissed him on the cheek when he returned. Not to mention that she had also kissed Jake on the cheek too, and he didn't even know what else had happened when she was with him on that chase for Vesper One's ridiculous items.

His eyes narrowed and he threw his phone against the wall in a rarely displayed fit of rage.

_It's time to do something. Time to set everything straight. Time for Amy to pick._

* * *

Back in the Cahill mansion, Jonah called his dad. It was about time he had a little chat with him about the Vespers.

"Jonah, my boy! How's everything back there? You didn't get hurt from when Vesper Four started on your trail did you?"

"Dad," Jonah said in a serious voice," I'm fine, but we need to talk about things."

"About what, son?"

Jonah took a deep breath. _You're da Wiz. If you can escape from a mob of screaming fangirls in New York City, you can do this. _"Are or are you not involved with the Vespers?"

There was a moment of silence on the other side before Broderick Wizard spoke. "I'm sorry for not telling you earlier."

"How could you?" shouted Jonah. "You were one of _them _allalong!"

"Calm down Jonah, it's not what you thi-"

"It is_ exactly _what I think! I should've known when they said Aunt Camille was Vesper Three. "

"Jonah, if you would just listen-"

"I don't need to listen to you anymore!" And with that, Jonah hung up on his dad.

* * *

_What have I done? _Broderick Wizard stared at a picture of his son. _I should have told him sooner, _he thought. _Now all he's going to think is that I'm a traitor. _Which he was on a certain level. He did betray the family, but not the Cahills. The Vespers. The Wizard family was one of the few high-ranking families in the organization. When he and Leila renounced their selves, he remembered what their older sister, Camille, had said.

_"Your decision will lead to your downfall," she hissed. "Walk out that door and your families will suffer the price!" _

He should've known this was coming, that something would happen eventually. But that happened thirteen years ago. He had thought she had let it go. Apparently not.

He also remembered why he had detached himself from the Vespers. Three nights before he did, Arthur had gave him a little visit.

_Thirteen Years Ago, Wizard Residence_

_"Ah, the black sheep of his family. What is your purpose here Arthur? Coming here is like going back into the Vespers headquarters. You won't be able to escape." Broderick fingered the small gun he had concealed in his suit. _

_"I came here to talk, to convince you." Arthur stood in the doorway, unmoving. "We were friends before. In the name of our previous friendship, I hope you'll listen to me."_

_"About what? About how you're such an utter failure and traitor?"_

_"About how you should leave the Vespers," Arthur said bluntly, his hands in his pockets._

_"HA!" Broderick threw his head back with laughter. "That's a good one. Leave the family." He mockingly wiped his fingers across his eyes, as if to wipe away tears._

_"The Vespers aren't your family Broderick. The Cahills are. You married Cora, one of the three heads of the Janus branch. You already have a son with Janus blood. He's a Cahill, not a Vesper."_

_"Oh, he'll be a Vesper soon enough." He looked at a family picture of Jonah, himself, and Cora. "As soon as I retrieve all Janus clues and he turns of age. Then we'll leave this wretched family. I intend to fulfill my assignment unlike you. Make Cora fall in love with me, retrieve all clues, and then leave her. It's taken many years, but the end is coming. "_

_"If you do that, your son's whole world will collapse. By the time he's of age, which is what, ten?"_

_"Eleven to be precise" _

_"It doesn't matter. He'll be raised by you and Cora. He'll think that he has loving parents. He'll think that he has the perfect family, that nothing will break that bond. Think of what will happen when you leave him and tell him everything he's been raised by was wrong. Think about what will happen to his mind when his perfect family shatters and he has to be removed from his mother."_

_"Pah! Cora rarely spends time with him anyway. She's too busy trying to get rid of the other two leaders of the Janus."_

_"But your son still loves her if I'm not mistaken?"_

_Broderick remembers how Jonah always ran off towards Cora as soon as she set foot out of her car. About how he always asked, "Where's mommy?", every morning. About how he stayed up all night on her birthday, waiting for her to come home, and how proud he was when he displayed the cake he had baked for her. _

_"That love can be broken easily."_

_"A child's love for their mother is never easily broken. You should be one to know Broderick."_

_Instantly, Broderick's head was filled with old memories. He remembered about how he had stayed up all night on his mother's birthday. About how much time he poured into the card for his mother. About how he always anticipated her phone calls. About how much he wept when he learned the news that she had died in a car crash._

_"I hope you'll consider what I ask of you." And with that Arthur Trent left and Broderick was alone with his thoughts about how important his son was. _

Present Time:

"I have to fix this," muttered Broderick as he got up and put on his coat, walking out the door.

**I heard a rumor that a clue to Vesper Three were the initials C.W., so I just wrote that it was Camille Wizard since I read that she was a Madrigal in the Black Book of Buried Secrets. And her last name's Wizard so I just wrote that she was Broderick's sister. It would be awkward if she turned out to be his great-great-great grandmother or something. O_O**

**Review please! **


	6. Chapter 6

**I don't own the 39 clues. **

Natalie stared up at the bedroom ceiling, lost in her thoughts. Even though she hid it, she was still in shock that her mother was involved with the Vespers. As if shooting your own daughter in the foot wasn't enough.

Natalie curled over to her side, hiding the scar beneath the blankets. She missed the Egyptian cotton she had back in London. She missed her spacious closet, once filled to the brim with every designer clothing anyone could imagine. But more than ever, Natalie missed her mother.

A tear slid down her face. She longed for Isabel to embrace her in a hug that normal mothers would give their children. Of course, Isabel was far from normal. Once, when Natalie had mustered enough confidence, she dared to ask," Why are hugs forbidden Mummy?"

Her mother had glared at her in response and when she replied, her voice carried a cutting edge. She was in a particularly bad mood that night.

"Hugs are for the poor. You should know that by now Natalie, but what would I expect from a pathetic girl I have to call my daughter that lost to Vanessa Rutherford in the ski contest?"

At the time, Natalie was taken aback by how cruel her mother was. She had never expressed this side of her personality to her daughter before. Natalie had seen it in action, but it was usually directed towards incompetent services.

Isabel had then walked out of the room, but not before saying," And don't you ever fathom of giving one to anyone. If I ever hear that you do, there will be consequences." The slam of the door that followed reverberated in Natalie's mind.

That night, she fell asleep to fantasies of a life in which her mother had not set that ill-fated fire.

* * *

On the contrary, her sibling couldn't sleep a wink. He too was lost in thoughts about Isabel. A mixture of hatred, anger, longing, and love for his mother bubbled inside him, threatening to spill outward.

He felt around for his iPod on the nightstand, scowling when he couldn't find it. At times like this, he usually relied on Beethoven's Fur Elise to lull him to sleep. Slipping on his socks, he walked out of the room.

As he rounded a corner, he almost gasped aloud. The portrait of Madeleine Cahill hung on the wall, the shadows and moonlight making the animals on her dress seem like they were moving.

_Don't be ridiculous, it's only a painting. _Regardless, he still hurried past it. He didn't slow down until he reached the bottom of the stairwell. When he approached the kitchen, he saw light coming out from under the door. _Who would be up at such an unearthly hour?_

Ian pushed open the door, wincing at the glare of the light.

"Ian?" He was met with the sight of Amy sitting at the table.

"Amy? What are you doing up at this hour?"

"I couldn't sleep. I suppose you too?"

He nodded, taking a seat next to her. Her hair was rumpled, a sure sign of tossing and turning.

"Do you want some hot chocolate?" Amy motioned to the cup in front of her.

"Only if it doesn't come in one of those horrid packets." Ian decided his iPod could wait.

"Don't worry. It's from this." She shook a container of powdered chocolate. "Imported from Switzerland."

"That could suffice." He watched as she dropped two spoonful's of it into his cup, then another two into hers.

"It's my mom's recipe. She used to make this when sleep wouldn't come to her either." She stirred as she added warm water, adding a few drops of vanilla and a pinch of cinnamon afterwards. In her cup, she plopped some small marshmallows in.

Ian reached for his cup, glad for the warm feeling it gave.

Amy stared at Ian, watching the tension ease off his face as he drank.

When his eyes flickered towards hers, she quickly looked down. She could already feel her cheeks turning pink.

"So what kept you up tonight?" She looked up to find his amber eyes staring at her jade ones. She didn't know why, but at that moment she felt like he was her closest confidant and that she could tell him anything.

"I'm worried about Dan."

"Dan?"

She sighed, closing her eyes for a brief moment. When she opened them again, she asked, "Haven't you ever noticed how he would stare into space from time to time?"

"Occasionally, yes."

"I know he's been thinking about something. Something dark. I just don't know what it is though." Her head went into her hands. "It makes me so frustrated. Not to mention that the whole 'my dad is back from the dead' thing makes it worse."

She felt his hand on her shoulder. "Amy, if you survived the 39 Clues hunt and the Vespers, you should be able to get through it without any problems. I know you can." He squeezed her shoulder.

"Thanks Ian." They sat there a moment, sipping their hot cocoas.

"In the meantime, would you like to chat about something else?"

"Korea." Ian nearly spilled his drink all over his silk pajamas when he heard that dreaded word.

"I want to talk about Korea."

"_You _want to talk about Korea?"

She nodded and instantly, Ian's mind was flooded with memories of monstrous dogs, torn boxer shorts, a small library, Alistair's lawn, and one word. Lovely.

"Was it real?" Amy hated herself for asking, especially since she had a boyfriend right now, but she had to know. Her conscience kept bugging her about it ever since those feelings resurfaced again. Amy knew she couldn't like Ian Kabra, couldn't even think about it. Evan was her boyfriend and that was that. But no matter how hard she tried to push them out of her head, they would always come back. And with a vengeance. Throw in Jake and the feelings were made even more complicated.

Part of her hoped he would say no, so that those feelings could be quelled, but a majority of her screamed, "SAY YES!"

"Yes." Amy didn't even realize she was holding her breath until she exhaled.

She got up from her chair. Neither one looked at each other. "That's all I needed to know. Good night Ian."

"Good night."

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed!**


	7. Chapter 7

**I don't own the 39 Clues.**

The next morning was, to be blunt, awkward. Incredibly awkward.

After freshening up, Amy walked down the stairs to breakfast, but ran into Ian halfway down.

"Oh. Ian."

Ian nodded in acknowledgement of her presence. "Amy."

Amy stepped to the right to pass, but Ian had the same idea, so they remained smack in front of one another.

"Sorry." she muttered. She stepped to the left and hurried past him.

Ian watched her retreating figure, wanting to say something, but he didn't know what. Yesterday's question, or rather the wee morning's question, had caught him completely off guard. Out of all the things she had to ask about, Korea had to be it. _Korea. _The place where he flirted with her. The place where Alistair's monstrous dog had bit his bum and his boxers were exposed for all the world to see. He shuddered at the memory. It was the most embarrassing thing that had happened to him. Most importantly though, it was the place where he betrayed her. She had given her trust to him and he had trapped her in a cave to die in return.

He sighed and headed towards Natalie's room.

* * *

Three loud knocks resounded from outside her door.

"Natalie, stop dilly dallying already and head down to breakfast. You're the only one not present."

"I'm combing my hair! Can't a girl get some time alone to tend to her needs!"

In actuality, she could've been finished half an hour ago. However, her eyes were still red and puffy from crying the night before. She had soaked them in warm water, but it took some time.

"Just hurry it up. There's your favorite, Belgian waffles and eggs benedict."

"I'll be down in a minute!" Natalie looked into the full-length mirror in the room, giving herself a onceover.

_Okay. Outfit for the day. Proper hair. Proper accessories. Proper shoes. Proper makeup._

After making sure everything was in place, she headed down towards breakfast. When she arrived into the dining room, everyone was chatting and eating. She sat down in a seat next to her brother, who had already placed her breakfast in front of her.

"Eat up."

She picked up her fork and knife, cutting a piece of waffle and daintily placing it into her mouth. She chewed quietly.

"Is something the matter Natalie?" She looked up to see her brother staring at her. "You look like you're preoccupied with something there."

"I'm fine. I'm just homesick. I want to return to London."

"We're going back next week."

"Why next week?"

"...I have some errands to run."

Natalie's brows furrowed. "What kind of errands?"

"Natalie, I don't think it's any of your business to know." He stared down at his cup of coffee, halfway done.

She looked at him curiously for a moment and then it hit her. Smirking, she said," It has something to do with Amy Cahill doesn't it?"

"What! Of course not." He said this too quickly.

"You answered too quickly. You are most _definitely _lying."

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Ian got up from his chair. "I've finished. I'm going out for some fresh air."

When he was almost towards the door, Natalie called out," Dear brother, give her my condolences when you become her boyfriend. _So _sorry for her that she's going to have one that doesn't know what to do!"

He whipped around, giving her one of his death glares, and then headed out to the garden.

* * *

Ian walked around aimlessly. He had retreated here only to escape his sister's inquiries about his love life, not to breathe in the fresh air. He had nothing to do.

After walking around for a few more minutes, he heard a voice call," Pssst! Ian! Over here!"

He saw a hand waving him over and proceeded it with caution. If this was another one of Dan's pranks, he was going to poison the little nutter in his sleep. Who he saw wasn't Dan though. It was Nellie.

"Nellie? What are you doing here?"

"I came here to talk to you." She looked around, making sure nobody else was around to see or listen. "It's about Natalie."

"Natalie?" Ian was confused. "What about her?"

"Listen, when we were stuck in that room, it did something to her head. She can go act that she's all better and happy-go-lucky and all that other stuff, but I know she's not."

Now Ian was worried. "What happened?"

"After the Vespers threw us into the room, she just started staring blankly at the walls for, like, thirty minutes straight. And then one time, after we tried to escape, she just got up and screamed 'I WANT MY MOTHER!'. She also talked in her sleep a lot. Like 'Mum, don't leave me. Come back.'."

Ian sighed. "I should've known this was coming. After the gauntlet, I would always find her in our mother's closet, going through her clothes. She merely told me that she was going through her clothes for charity, but not one piece of clothing ever left that closet. She misses her."

"Maybe you should go talk to her about Isabel."

"Perhaps. "

"Okay, then. I just wanted to tell you that. I need to go check on my culinary classes now. Bye." With a wave, Nellie ran off into the mansion.

Ian sat down onto a bench and contemplated how he should confront Natalie about it. He knew she loved their mother, he did too, but it seemed wrong. How could they love a murderer? A woman who shot her own daughter in the foot. He knew he should loathe her, but he just couldn't.

He groaned out loud. _This is getting too complicated._

* * *

The doorbell rang. Amy looked at one of the cameras on the wall and saw that it was Evan. She smiled, knowing he would cheer her up.

Opening the door, she said," Evan! I didn't know you were coming over. You didn't send a text or anything."

She knew something was wrong when he didn't smile back or greet her. He just pushed passed her and said," We need to talk."

Amy followed him up the stairs, onto a balcony. "About what?" When he turned to face her, she saw that his face was hard, his jaw rigid. "Is everything okay?"

"No, everything's _not _okay."

"What's wrong?"

"Us."

Confused, she asked," Us? What's wrong with 'us'?"

After a moment, he said, "Either it's me, Jake, or Ian. You pick."

_So much for cheering me up. _"Okay, I am really confused right now. What in the name of Gideon Cahill are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about me, Amy. You just don't seem interested anymore. You spend more time with Jake and Ian than with me right now."

"Well, I had to. Jake and Atticus would be in danger if they didn't come with us and Ian and I need to talk about the hostages and other Cahill stuff. And besides, you were grounded."

"That's not the point Amy!" Evan exploded. "You _like _both of them! I've seen it in your eyes. They get all dreamy when you stare at Jake and even more so when at Ian!"

"Now you're just being judgmental," Amy snapped. "What? Do I need to get _your _permission first before talking to my cousins or friends. I don't think so."

"I'm not being judgmental. You've changed Amy. Our relationship isn't the same as before. Before your cousins got kidnapped, you used to call me every day or at least text me. When you got home, I didn't even get as much as a hello!"

"I was busy." Amy seethed. "You know, Evan, you're not the most important thing in the world. I don't have to call you or text you every day. I'm a leader of an entire family okay. A _leader. _A lot of things require my overseeing it. A lot of things more important than you ever will be!" As soon as Amy said the last sentence, she regretted it. Evan's face was contorted into an ugly expression. He looked at her like she had just kicked one of those puppies he was always so fond of at the pet store.

"I think we should break up. We're not compatible with each other anymore. Good luck with your new boyfriends." He sneered the last word, walking away.

Amy glared at the back of his head. She had never been so angry at him before. Well, this was actually the first time. They had never gotten into a fight, minus this one. She admitted that it was true, that she did have mixed feelings for all three boys, but that did _not _give Evan the right to yell at her like that.

She never knew he could be so despicable. Leaning against the wall, she closed her eyes. As soon as she did, she saw Jake's face and then Ian's face smiling at her. She snapped open her eyes.

Why did her love life have to be so messed up?

**Review, I want your feedback! **


	8. Chapter 8

**eatcheesecakelikecrazy: Thank you!**

**Unicorn Ruler of Bacon: Ironic indeed.**

**kissesatmidnight: Yeah, I'm going to put something with Arthur and Vikram soon. Then Isabel. I checked out your story. It was good. :)**

**I don't own the 39 Clues.**

Natalie wandered around the mansion, gazing at the various paintings and the architecture. She had never really paid attention to the details before, but she had nothing to do and decided to go sight-seeing.

As she walked down a hallway with bay windows, she saw a strange boy walking briskly towards her. Natalie froze. She had never seen him before and her memory was impeccable. Was he a Vesper that had somehow broke into the mansion? Had he come to take her back to that prison cell?

When the boy neared, he slowed down. Natalie saw that he had ginger colored hair and thick glasses that looked absolutely atrocious on him. She fingered her dart gun inside her pocket. You could never be too careful.

"Who are you?" she asked.

"Evan Tolliver." He peered at her face. "You're Ian's little sister aren't you?"

"You don't have the proper clearance to know."

"Yup, definitely Kabra's sister."

"How do you know my brother?" Her eyes narrowed. His appearance was enough to annoy her, though she wasn't sure why. As the Americans would say, it was probably because he looked nerdy. She wasn't going to let her guard down though.

Natalie whipped out the gun, positioning it between his eyes.

Evan's eyes widened and he backed away. "Whoa! Take it easy! I'm not the enemy!" He held his arms up in the surrender sign.

"Then who exactly are you?" She kept her finger on the trigger.

"I'm Amy's boyfriend. Was actually."

"You're Amy's boyfriend?" She looked at him in disgust. How could Amy ever fancy this horrid boy? He looked like a Justin Bieber wanna-be with his hair. Even Jonah was better than that Bieber that her friends were so infatuated with.

Evan lowered his hands to his sides. "Ex now."

Natalie couldn't say anything but," Oh."

"Yeah. ...Well, I have to go now. I probably won't be welcome here ever again anyway. So long."

He continued walking down the hallway and disappeared around the corner.

After recollecting her thoughts, Natalie smiled mischievously. _I wonder what Ian will make of this._

* * *

In the gym, Reagan was working on the deltoid machine, pushing on eighty five pound weights. Ever since she got back, she had been exercising like this. She hated that feeling of restlessness that had overcome her while being a Vesper hostage.

"...ninety, one hundred." With a grunt, she pushed the last repetition and went to sit on the floor. Drenched in sweat, she took a Gatorade and poured some over her head. The coolness of the cold drink felt as better than ever.

Reagan got up and looked down at the floor. _Oops, spilled some. _She made a mental note to clean it later.

"Hey Reagan. I thought I would find you in here." Madison was at the doorway, holding the set of weights she had taken with her from Milwaukee.

She walked towards her twin and dropped the weights. "You wouldn't mind if I worked out with you right?"

"Go ahead." Reagan grabbed two of the weights and started lifting them, with Madison doing the same.

After a few minutes, Madison said, "We really missed you, you know." She put down her weights and sat.

Reagan stopped as well. "I know."

"_I _really missed you." Madison was looking down into her lap, embarrassed of the sappy comment she had just made.

"I know," Reagan replied softly. "I really missed you too."

Then Madison jumped up and punched Reagan in the shoulder.

"HEY! WHAT WAS THAT FOR?" she cried, rubbing her shoulder. It didn't hurt though. She had become accustomed to her sister's punches and kicks at the age of four.

"Don't tell anyone I ever said that!"

Reagan smiled. "I won't."

* * *

"Dear brother, I have some news you would be interested in."

Ian looked up from his book to see Natalie leaning against the doorframe.

"What news?" he asked curiously.

"That Tolliver boy is out of the picture."

"What do you mean by 'out of the picture'?" He marked his page and closed the book.

"Ugh, did your IQ deteriorate while I was gone? Tolliver's gone. He and Amy broke up, oh, a mere five minutes ago." Natalie said the last sentence airily, as if she hadn't a care in the world.

"They did?" Now _this _was news.

"If you're trying to woo her, then you'd better hurry. That Rosenbloom boy is competition." With that said, Natalie turned and walked away.

Ian leaned back against his chair, drumming his fingers on the desk. This was an unexpected turn. He had always assumed that Evan would be around for a few more months. Obviously, he was wrong, but now he didn't know what was the next step in his plan. Originally, he was going to poison their relationship little by little so that no one would notice. Little things would be done to gain her affection, such as opening the door for her or sending her gifts that Tolliver couldn't afford. He may be cut off from the Kabra fortune, but he was still immensely richer than him. He knew; he had hacked into his parents' bank accounts and he wasn't surprised when he found only a hundred thousand dollars.

He turned his phone around and around with fingers. Speaking of money, he would have to call the family stock broker again. Every month, Ian would give a call to him and invest in stock that he was certain would perform well on the market that day. He had always had an uncanny ability to tell.

His thoughts returned to Amy again. The Rosenbloom brother will have to go. He couldn't have someone vying for her affection at the same time as he. Wouldn't want Amy to get confused as to whom she wanted to spend her time with.

Ian contemplated his next move. It would have to be something that would rid the awkwardness between them, that would make her feel more comfortable around him again.

_Thirty Minutes Later:_

He was tearing his hair out. Mentally, of course. He would never do such a thing to his lavish hair. Who knew strategizing a plan to woo your former enemy-turned ally was so difficult? This shouldn't be difficult though. Ian was a Lucian and they were supposed to be the masters of analysis and strategy. Maybe he was analyzing the situation the wrong way, or perhaps his strategies were not up to par.

He groaned and put his head between his hands. He was getting more frustrated with every passing minute.

_Maybe a cup of tea will go calm the nerves._

When Ian had arrived at the Cahill mansion, he couldn't find a drop of proper tea in the house. He had made sure to import a few from Sri Lanka and Britain, all on their credit cards of course. After all, it was for their own good. They needed something to drink besides that Snapple that didn't even taste like tea.

Two years ago, someone else would've been making his drinks. Yet two years ago, he'd never thought his life would come to this. _A Kabra living in poverty, _Ian thought.

He brought his tea out to the balcony and set it down on the table. Before he could sit down, he noticed something on the other end. A girl that looked like Amy was curled up on a lounge chair, but he couldn't tell if it was her from this far away.

Approaching her cautiously, he called out," Amy? Is that you?"

The girl turned around in her chair. "Yeah, it's me." Her voice wobbled a little.

He noticed her skin was a bit red around the eyes.

"Were you crying?"

Amy wiped her eyes with her sleeves, though there weren't any tears left. "A little."

Ian sat down next to her. "It's about Tolliver isn't it?"

She looked at him warily. "How did you know?"

"Natalie told me. She ran into him and he told her."

"Oh."

Ian looked at her with concern. "Are you alright?"

Amy sat up."I'm fine. It's just-" She took a deep breath. "I never thought he could be so mean. I mean, we've been dating for only a few months, so I don't know everything about him, but it seemed as if his personality was always optimistic. As if he were incapable of being a menacing person."

"People change," he said softly, thinking about his sister.

"Like you." She looked at Ian.

"Me?" He looked startled. He hadn't expected the conversation's topic to land on him.

Amy nodded. "Before the clue hunt, you were mean. You laughed at everyone's blunders and looked down at people that were less important than you."

"I still do that."

"In a nicer way though."

"How do you look down on people in a 'nicer' way?"

"Well, you managed it."

She looked down at her hands, playing with her nails. Then she hugged him.

Ian looked ahead in shock. This was an even more unexpected turn in events. He hadn't thought she would feel _this_ comfortable around him.

He blinked a few times, making sure this wasn't one of his fantasies, and then hugged her back.

"Thanks Ian." she murmured into his shoulder. "I needed that talk."

Amy drew back. "I'm going to go freshen up now." She walked towards the hallway, and then looked back.

"Would you mind not telling anyone about this? I don't want them to fuss over me about my love life."

"You have my word."

She smiled. "See you at dinner."


	9. Chapter 9

**Thank you for reviewing!**

**I don't own the 39 Clues. **

Jake Rosenbloom never thought his brother would stoop this low. Sure, he'd had his fair share of crushes on girls, but never once had he stared at a girl with googly eyes for thirty minutes straight.

"Atticus, stop doing that!" He whispered fiercely. "You're creeping her out!"

Atticus teared his gaze away from Natalie to face his brother. "I am not!"

"You are too! You were staring at her for thirty minutes! You didn't even look away when she stared back at you!"

The Cahills and Rosenblooms were in the living room, lounging around.

Amy was reading Pride and Prejudice again, while Nellie was flipping through a cookbook, looking for exotic dishes to create that night. At Amy's insistence, Dan was working on all the school work he had missed while on Vesper One's crazy chase. Natalie was absorbed in all the editions of British Vogue she had missed and Reagan was going through the get well cards she had received from school. William McIntyre had insisted her parents tell the school she had come down with a rare virus and had to be quarantined in a hospital.

"Then what do you want me to do?" asked Atticus.

"Go translate a lost Latin text or something. Actually, _anything_ would be better than what you're doing right now."

"In actuality, some things are not better than what I'm doing right now. For instance, jumping out of a ten story building."

Jake rolled his eyes. "If you like her, then just talk to her or something. Though I hardly doubt she'll like you back. You're eleven and she's thirteen."

"Way to go for the encouragement," Atticus muttered. Nevertheless, he went to talk to Natalie.

"Um...hi Natalie."

Natalie looked up from her magazine, annoyed to be interrupted from looking at the latest Gucci purse. "Hi." She returned to the world of fashion after the half-hearted greeting without a second glance.

Now Atticus was completely lost as to what to do next. Professors he had no trouble talking to, but girls? Forget about it. He looked back towards his brother and he shrugged in response.

After returning to his seat, he asked," So what do you do when you want to get a girl's attention?"

Jake thought for a minute. "Nothing really. Usually, the girls approach me first."

And it was true. Whether he was in public or at a museum function, girls would swoon and flirt with him. Atticus had never wanted his brother's good looks because of this, but now he wished he had inherited some of those genes from his father.

He crossed his arms and frowned. If he could escape from the Wyoming siblings, he could devise a plan to catch Natalie's attention.

* * *

At dinner, Dan made an announcement.

"Next week, we're going to hold a funeral service for all those who died for us, including Mr. McIntyre, Irina, and Lester."

For too long, those matters had been pushed aside from Amy's mind due to the impending threat of the Vespers. Now that the threat was temporarily gone, her mind was wandering. She'd remembered all the people that had sacrificed their lives for them, and how Mr. McIntyre had died a tragic death.

After her talk with Ian, she had gone to Fiske's study, where she talked it over with him, Dan, and Nellie. They all agreed it was about time they were honored.

"It's going to start at eight A.M. next Saturday and end at around five." She turned to Ian. "Can you inform the Lucian branch of this service?"

Ian nodded. "I can try."

"I will send out a memo to all Ekats," said Alistair.

"And I'll make sure the Janus gets the message yo." added Jonah.

"I'll tell the Tomas." Hamilton said next.

"Thank you for the contributions."

Jake talked next. "Atticus and I will come too. I'll call my dad tonight."

"Thank you, Jake."

"Now then," Fiske clapped his hands together. "Let's see what dish Nellie has prepared for us tonight, shall we?"

* * *

In the middle of dinner, Jake's cell-phone rang. "Excuse me," he said, getting up to take the call.

"Hello?" He was standing in the hall outside the dining room.

"Hey Jake! It's me, Andrea!"

"Oh, hey Andrea!" Andrea was the lead female singer in his band, Vesuvius. He had named the band after the volcano that had erupted in Pompeii for their explosive talent.

"So, I was wondering when you're coming back to Italy?" She was also studying abroad in the same university as him. They had been friends since middle school.

"Not until a few more weeks."

"Oh." He heard disappointment in her voice. "How come? Only if you want to tell me though. If you don't want to, you don't have to."

"I'm attending a funeral service for my lawyer. He died a couple of weeks ago."

"I'm so sorry for your loss."

"Thanks."

"Well, I hope you feel better. Call me soon!"

"I will. Bye Andrea."

"Bye Jake."

Jake smiled as he pressed end call. Andrea could always put a smile on his face. They had met in the sixth grade while attending a grand opening party at a museum for an exhibit. Her parents were the archaeologists that had discovered the thousand year old artifacts and were close friends with his father. They had introduced the two middle schoolers to each other at the dinner. She had then moved to his school a few weeks later. Andrea had explained to him that she had recently moved into the neighborhood.

Ever since then, they had done many things together. Studying for tests, going to dances, partnering together for school projects, the high school senior prom, and the band.

When he got back to his seat, Atticus asked," Was that Dad?"

"No, it was Andrea."

"Really?" Atticus' eyes lit up. He had always been fond of her. Over the years, Andrea had been like a big sister to him.

"What did she say?"

Jake put his phone back in his pocket.

"Just asking about when I'm going back to university."

"Who's Andrea?" asked Amy.

"A college friend." replied Jake.

"He's known her ever since the sixth grade." piped up Atticus.

"Wow, that is a long time."

"It is."

"Are you dating?" asked Natalie.

"Why do you ask?" he looked up from his bowl of Vietnamese noodles.

"Because you're smiling."

Jake frowned. "What does my smiling have to do with dating?"

"She's got a point." said Dan, "I mean, come on, you rarely smile."

"I smiled when I kicked Dave Speminer in the face."

"I think everyone was smiling when you did that."

"I know I was," said Amy.

Ian placed the chopsticks back into the bowl. "He deserved it."

Atticus sighed. "I still can't believe that all along, he was Vesper One. He'd only become Mom's assistant to retrieve her information." His face darkened. "And to poison her. I should've seen it sooner. I should've seen that his name was an anagram for Damien Vesper."

Jake put an arm around his little brother's shoulder. "His trial's next week. Do you want to go?"

Atticus nodded. "I want to be there when they sentence him to life in prison."

"We'll all go. I want to see his face then too." Dan grinned. "it's going to be good."

"Da Wiz is going to come too! Man, once I get there, the paparazzi is going to flock to the courthouse. They'll report about the trial and that man is going to get the punishment he deserves!"

"I'm coming too." Hamilton smashed his fist against his palm. "Karma, my man, karma. Locking up Reagan and the others like that."

"The whole Council of Six is going to be trialed as a matter of fact," Ian said. He looked at Natalie. "As well as Mum again."

She nodded. "I hope she stays in jail this time."

"She will," Ian said firmly. "No judge is going to offer her a way out of jail this time."

Natalie played with her spring rolls, her appetite lost. Ian made a decision. He was going to speak with her tonight.

Just then, Dan's cell-phone beeped. Taking it out and reading it, he said, "It's from the guards. They said there's someone outside. I'll go check it out." Rising from his chair, he raced towards the main door.

A few minutes later, he came racing back. "Jonah, it's for you."

Jonah groaned. "Don't tell me. It's one of those crazy fan girls that track my every movement right dawg?"

"No. It's your dad."


	10. Chapter 10

**Thank you for reviewing!**

**I don't own the 39 Clues.**

"What do you want?"

Broderick stopped his pacing and turned around to find his son.

"I just want a word."

Jonah crossed his arms. "Don't want one. Already know what you are. Later." He started back to Grace's mansion.

Broderick lunged forward, clapping a hand on Jonah's shoulder. "It's not what you think! Just, please, listen to me."

Jonah looked back to glare at his dad and brushed his hand off. "You've got five minutes."

"I was part of the Vesper organization before, that I admit, but I left. I used to think that the Cahills were weaklings and that even the lowest of the low of Vespers could trump them. I've done despicable, horrible things during my time and I realized I was wrong."

Jonah snorted. "Yeah, because it's so likely that Vespers do that."

Broderick went on. "I realized I was wrong because of you Jonah."

"Why me?" Jonah asked, curiosity on his face.

His dad sighed. "Arthur Trent."

"Amy and Dan's dad? Wasn't he a Vesper before?"

Broderick nodded. "By the time he came to visit me, he had already denounced himself from the organization. I was ready to...to kill him, at any cost."

Jonah looked horrified, his eyes bugging. "You were going to _kill _someone?"

"I was, but then he reminded me of you, son. About how important you are to me. That your life would break apart into little pieces if I turned you into a Vesper or took you away from your mother."

Jonah held up his hand. "Whoa, wait a minute. Did you just say you were going to turn me into a Vesper? Man, that is sick Dad! Why would you want to do such a thing?"

"Because I was a fool back then." Broderick admitted. "I didn't have a clear understanding about what was right and wrong. I'm sorry Jonah, and I hope you'll forgive me for not telling you earlier."

"It's okay, dawg." Jonah put his hands into his pocket, kicking at rocks with his Nikes. "So, you left the Vespers?"

Nodding, Broderick said," I did, and your Aunt Leila followed me. We decided that the Cahills were better suited for you and Phoenix than the Vespers. We didn't want to turn you as cold-blooded as them."

"Mom almost did." Jonah muttered.

"I know, but you wouldn't have killed the young Cahill boy. I know you wouldn't have. Underneath all that gangster bravado is the Jonah I know. Talented, creative, and caring."

His son smiled. "Thanks Dad." Then it disappeared. "What's going to happen with Aunt Camille then?"

"That's the reason I'm returning to Los Angeles tonight. I will be at her trial, as will your Aunt Leila. She returned to California this morning with Phoenix if I'm not mistaken?"

"Yeah, they left at nine."

"I'll be going now." Broderick went to hug Jonah. "Goodbye. Stay strong."

"I will," said Jonah, drawing back. "Bye Dad."

He stared as Broderick Wizard walked down the drive.

"Dad!" He called out. "You'll be at my next concert, right?"

Broderick looked over his shoulder.

"Aren't I always?"

* * *

_Brazil _

"Well, well, well. If it isn't the great Vikram Kabra."

Vikram spun around, barely containing a jump. He looked at the speaker with disbelief.

"Arthur?"

"Didn't think I survived that fire, did you?" Arthur said from in front of the door, blocking Vikram's only exit.

"But, how did you, how could you have-"

"Barely escaped." Arthur kept his voice steady, hand on the gun inside his pocket in case Vikram tried to attack him.

"The two bodies. You _can't _be alive." Vikram was still looking at him in disbelief. Arthur smirked. He had known Vikram since they were teenagers and not once had he seen his face in that expression. It was quite amusing. He should've brought a camera.

"Vesper assassin sent by your dearly beloved wife's boss, Vesper One."

Vikram scowled. "Don't refer to her as my wife. I'm filing divorce papers as soon as I get out of this mess she made."

"Oh, she didn't entirely make this mess. You had a part in it as well. After all, you did help set that fire." Arthur's voice shook with anger at the last sentence. Memories of that day burst into his mind. Amy screaming for him, Dan in Hope's arms, and Hope telling him to go, to save himself. The most painful memory was of a wooden beam falling between them, blocking his view of her and hearing her scream in pain at the cinders making contact with her skin. That was the last he had heard of his wife.

With a heavy heart, he had then fled the scene, flinging open the back door of the house, and following the stop, drop, and roll routine to put out the fire on his nightshirt. When at a safe distance, he had looked between the trees, and vowed in the name of Hope that justice would be served for her death, no matter what.

"You should know that I didn't help set that fire. It was all Isabel's doing." Vikram said adamantly.

"Don't lie," Arthur snarled. "I know you did."

Vikram put his hands behind his back. Arthur's eyes flickered to them. Could he be retrieving a weapon?

Now was the time to put the gun into action. He pulled it out with lightning speed, and pointed it at his face. "Hands where I can see them."

"Now, now," Vikram chided. "Let's not get violent, shall we?"

"Hands where I can see them." Arthur repeated, pronouncing each word clearly.

Complying, Vikram said," What is your purpose here anyway? Have you come to intimidate me? If you are, you're not doing such a good job." His voice returned to that slightly bored tone he had mastered.

"I don't care if you're intimidated by me or not. I've come here to serve justice."

Vikram raised an eyebrow. "Really? And how will you serve this 'justice'?"

"By putting you in prison." That was the signal. At the word prison, dozens of UN officers burst into the room, rappelling from helicopters, and bursting through windows.

Vikram looked shocked. "But the Lucian alarm system...it's the most recent. This should've been impossible!" he shouted, as two UN officers approached him, one holding handcuffs.

"Stay back!" Vikram whipped his own gun out of his back pocket, but the UN officer was too fast for him. Kicking the gun out of his hand, he slammed the former Lucian leader into the wall, immobilizing him.

Slapping the handcuffs onto his hands, the officer said," Vikram Kabra, you are under arrest for being the accomplice of Isabel Kabra in the murder of Hope Cahill, espionage, assault, and blackmail. You have the right to remain silent under American law."

"You, you can't do this!"Vikram shouted. "I didn't help Isabel! I told you, it was all her doing!"

"Save it for the judge," Arthur snapped. "Though I hardly doubt he'll listen to the likes of you."

"Sir, should we freeze his assets?" asked the UN officer.

Arthur thought for a minute. "No."

"Then what should we do with them?"

"Hand them over to the UN and then disperse them over different charities." Arthur smiled. One of the things Vikram despised the most was giving money to poor people.

"No! Not the charities!" Vikram thought desperately, then settled on two people. "Give them to my children instead!"

Arthur raised an eyebrow. "Your children? I thought you hated them for their actions in the gauntlet."

"Giving those two colossal failures the fortune is better than giving it to peasantry."

_Well, what do you know. _Arthur thought. _The cold-blooded Vikram Kabra does have a miniature heart after all._

Arthur turned to the UN officer again. "Well then, I guess Ian and Natalie Kabra will be receiving some good news."

The officer nodded. "Very well, sir. " He turned to his colleagues. "Load him into the helicopter!"

Arthur watched as Vikram Kabra disappeared into the aircraft. Before he did though, he shot him a glare, his eyes burning with anger, as if saying, "This isn't over yet."

After the commotion had settled down and he was on a plane back to Attleboro, he took out the picture of Hope he always carried with him.

"I did it, Hope." he whispered. A tear slid down his face. "You can rest in peace now."

* * *

_Somewhere Above the Atlantic Ocean:_

Vikram Kabra stared at the floor of the helicopter, lost in his thoughts.

Never in his life would he have thought he would be arrested one day. After all he was _the _Vikram Kabra. Son of a Lucian branch leader, and one himself. He was supposed to be untouchable and yet, here he was.

His blank stare was replaced with a glare. Blast Arthur Trent and his family! They've meddled with everything he had. He had the looks, the fortune, and a perfect family. Or at least the image of a perfect family.

He honestly didn't know why on earth he had helped his son find Natalie. He shouldn't have. After all, he did disown them. Technically, they weren't even his children anymore.

Something had happened when he had talked to Ian though. He hadn't seen him for two years and he had felt _pride _at how he had turned out. His newfound tendency to stutter would have to go though. Honestly, what was that Cahill girl doing to his boy?

He remembered how Isabel had ranted on the phone to him about his son's crush and how dishonorable he was to the Kabra name. The rants grew even more heated after the Peoria Airport incident.

The feeling he felt when he saw his son was quite peculiar though. He had read plenty of books in his age, and from them he deduced that it was longing. It was preposterous though. Kabras didn't feel longing. People felt that for them instead.

Vikram leaned against the seat he was sitting on, then decided against it. It would muss his perfectly styled hair up.

He didn't know if Natalie's kidnapping was Isabel's doing or not, but he would not let her have the last laugh. She had wanted to see their children suffer and rot in poverty, but Vikram had not wanted that fate for them. Even though Vikram was a very cold-hearted person, even for a Lucian, he was no Vesper. Regardless of disownment, they still carried the family name. Plus, he had wanted to have the last laugh.

He winced at the thought of frumpy, orange colored jumpsuits. Perhaps he could convince the judge to put him out of jail and on parole if he founded a global organization. After all, Isabel had done it though hers was a fake.

His thoughts returned to the conversation he had with Arthur Trent. Even if he hadn't thought what he said was real, it was. He had not helped Isabel set the fire. There was no evidence that could prove it though, and he highly doubted the judge would believe him.

Vikram had known Hope Cahill since they were children. They weren't exactly friends, but there was that one time when they were both still young and naive. It was at one of Grace's annual Cahill reunions and his parents had brought him there for the first time. He remembered being introduced to a bubbly, green eyed girl and the tension between his parents and her parents during the introductions. Nathaniel Hartford had not died yet, though he would in a year because of his father's orders.

She had showed him the koi pond in the gardens and her vast collection of books. They had sat together at dinner and chatted until his father barked at him to stay away from the Cahill girl.

When he had confronted them about where they had gone with the other representatives of the branches, he had not seen the strong Cahill woman Hope had become, but rather the little girl that he had played with at a reunion. He was ashamed to admit it, but he hadn't the heart to kill her. After Isabel had lit the curtains on fire, he had panicked. He had fled the home and returned to his mansion in London where he could control things from afar and not face the consequences personally.

Vikram knew it was hard to believe that such a cold-hearted, intolerant man could feel remorse, but he did. He just didn't show it on the outside.

* * *

"Natalie?" Ian knocked on his sister's door.

"Come in."

He opened it, and stepped in. Natalie was still reading British Vogue.

"What is it?" she asked.

Ian closed the door and shifted his feet. He didn't know how to start the conversation. He hadn't even ever talked to his sister like this before!

"I, um, uh..."

Natalie looked at him and rolled her eyes. "Just spit it out Ian."

"Ah, it's about Mum."

Her face remained indifferent. "What about her?"

"Nellie told me what happened. She said you screamed for her and that I should talk to you." Ian said this hesitantly.

Natalie remained silent and then said," I don't want to talk about it."

"Natalie, it's impor-"

"I don't care about Mum anymore!" she exclaimed. "Good night."

Throwing Vogue on the nightstand, she slapped her lamp shut, and flopped onto the bed with a, "Hmmph!"

"Good night then." Ian sighed, and ran his hand through his hair when he was out the door. Breaking into buildings? No problem. Breaking codes even the MI6 couldn't break? Easy as pie. Or was it cake? Talking to his younger sister about their estranged mother? Now that, Ian epically failed in.


	11. Chapter 11

**Syberian Quest: Thank you! I'm sure you've gotten my PM by now and I would like to thank you again for your offer.**

**Thank you to everyone else who reviewed! **

**I don't own the 39 Clues.**

"DAN!" Amy shouted, cupping her free hand around her mouth. In her other hand, she held a package. "Mail for you!"

Thunderous footsteps filled the early morning air as he ran down the steps and out the door towards the mailbox. "It came?" he asked, huffing for air.

"Yeah, whatever it is." Amy looked at the label. "Warning: Extremely fragile, do not shake." she read. Looking at her brother quizzically, she asked," What is it?"

Dan thanked the heavens the manufacturer didn't put _Melted Zinc _on the box. If they had, Amy would've seen right through the lie he was about to tell her.

"It's a new ninja glass figurine." Dan said, prying the package from his sister's hand. He bent down, still gasping for breath.

Amy scowled. "You didn't take your inhaler, did you? Here, dummy." She reached into her backpack and took out a new one. Having just come home from the pharmacy, she had had a whole supply of them.

Dan grabbed it and took a deep breath from the small container. He sat down on the ground and felt better instantly when the medicine kicked into his lungs.

"Do you feel better now?" Amy asked, worried.

Dan lifted the inhaler away from his mouth, and breathed in the fresh morning air. "Yeah," he replied, getting up. He turned around and started walking briskly towards the mansion. That is, until someone jumped out of the bushes and grabbed the package.

"HEY!" Dan shouted.

The thief was tall and his hair was streaked with gray in several spots. He turned around and Dan felt his heart stop.

"Dad?"

Arthur Trent smiled. "Dan."

Amy jogged up behind them. "What is going on here?"

He turned around, and Amy stopped in her tracks. She could only stare at him, her eyes widening. Amy had known her dad had survived, but they hadn't met in person for nine years now.

"My Amy, how you've grown."

"I-I-I," she stuttered, unable to finish. She could only gawk at him.

Dan recovered partially enough to make a lunge for the package, but Arthur's reflexes were faster. He nimbly jumped away.

"Give me that back." He held out an arm.

"Oh, I don't think so Dan." Arthur held it up over his head, out of reach. "What would a little boy do with zinc and a whole bunch of other ingredients anyway?"

Amy looked from the package to Dan, and back. "Zinc," she murmured. Her face contorted into an angry expression. "The serum! Dan, you know how dangerous it is!"

"It's not!" Dan shot back. "Look, Amy, I know you think it's dangerous and all that, but it's worth it! I just don't want anybody getting hurt anymore!"

All of a sudden, Arthur smashed the package down on the cement drive, and crushed it with his foot.

"NO!" Dan cried, as the liquid splattered out of the cardboard box.

"Your sister's right." Arthur said softly. "It _is_ dangerous. More than you can imagine."

"How is it dangerous when it makes you the most powerful person in the world! You could defend yourself with the Tomas skills and do all kinds of other stuff with the others!"

Arthur shook his head. "Gideon Cahill didn't perfect the serum, Dan. He died because of it."

"He died in the fire that Damien Vesper set!" Dan said, his face growing red.

"I know he did, but even if he didn't, the serum was going to kill him. You're right when you say it makes you the most powerful person in the world, but it doesn't last. The after-effect is death."

"Death?" Amy asked.

Arthur nodded. "Dan, you could've died!" Amy said, jabbing a finger at him. "We could've lost you!"

"It would be worth it if the Vespers were annihilated completely!" Dan countered.

Amy's finger went limp. "Dan, how can you say that?"

Dan shrunk back, wanting to take back what he had said out loud.

"You're talking about genocide. How could you, how could you possibly-" Amy couldn't even finish that sentence. "Dan, what happened to you? When did you turn so..._evil_."

The word evil rang inside his head. Something inside him snapped. "You shouldn't be telling me that I'm evil! The Vespers are evil! They've committed more than one genocide already! Look at Adolf Hitler and the Nazis! The Armenian genocide! They won't be gone forever Amy, and we need to do whatever it takes to _bring them down!" _

Amy could only stare at her little brother in shock. Gone was the bright, annoying boy that used to be her brother. The only thing she could see right now was the darkness engulfing him, turning him into something dark and twisted and evil.

"Dan!" Arthur snapped. "Don't think like that. The solution is never killing. It only adds fuel to the flames."

"Oh, don't you even start." Dan turned onto his father. "You have no right to tell me what to do! You abandoned us nine years ago in that fire! You aren't even my legal guardian anymore! I can't stand both of you and your stupid, old thinking that talking and negotiations can solve everything!" With that, Dan ran away from them into the surrounding gardens, disappearing around a hedge.

"Dan, you stop right there, right now!" Amy started running after him, but Arthur stopped her.

"Amy, give him some time." She looked at her father and she couldn't help the tears that followed. She ran into his arms. Amy hadn't hugged her dad like this since she was seven. Sorrow and happiness welled up inside her.

"I-I don't k-know what to d-do." She said in between sobs.

Arthur patted his daughter's head. "You'll come to a solution, and this time I'll be here to help."

"I m-missed you daddy."

"I know, sweetheart, I know."


	12. Chapter 12

**Thank you for reviewing!**

**I don't own the 39 Clues.**

"Natalie." Ian approached his younger sister once more.

Crossing her arms, she said stubbornly, "If you've come to prattle on to me about Mum, forget about it."

"We _have _to talk about her. You need closure, and you're not going to get it by fantasizing in your head about how she would have turned out if not for that fire!"

"Well, I refuse to talk to you!" She turned her back on him, and began picking at her breakfast noisily. Whenever she became angry, she tended to use kitchen utensils loudly. Ian remembered the crack he had found on the china after he had told her he was going to visit Amy a year and a half ago.

"Like it or not, you have to." He pulled out the chair opposite her, and sat in it. "You can't avoid it forever."

"Watch m-" She trailed off as she saw Amy enter the room. "Amy? What happened?"

Amy's eyes were red, as if she'd just been finished crying. She looked up at them, but said nothing.

"Amy?" Ian walked near her, thoughts about Natalie momentarily forgotten. "Is something the matter?"

"The usual family matters." said a voice from the entry.

Ian looked towards the source of the sound, and saw a face he had seen before in a picture in the Lucian Wing.

Arthur Trent walked into the dining room, looking around. "You really did remodel it after the old one didn't you?"

Amy nodded, still not speaking. Ian led her over to the chair he was sitting in. and she complied, sitting down.

He turned towards her father. "Care to tell what happened?"

Arthur looked towards his daughter. "Tell him," she croaked.

He looked back at Ian. "Dan's attempting to make the serum."

Ian's eyes bugged open. "The _serum?"_

Natalie looked equally astonished. "But we risked our lives for it! To destroy it! I thought it would be safe in the hands of you two!"

Amy looked up at her, eyes beginning to mist again. "I didn't know until today, Natalie. "

"Where's Dan right now?" Ian asked.

Arthur jerked his thumb backwards. "Gone out to the gardens. We'd better find him soon."

Ian took out the Madrigal smart-phone he had received after joining the branch. "I'll inform Sinead. She'll run a grid over the estate and locate him."

"Motion sensors, eh?" Arthur was looking out the windows now. He whistled at the Geiger counter installed in the corner of it. "Amy, sweetheart, you must've invested a lot in security."

"A few million," she said, some life returning to her voice.

Feeling his phone vibrate, Ian looked down. "Sinead said there's no one in the gardens. Dan must've went back here."

"I'll go look for him." Arthur turned on his heel, then stopped. "Oh, I just remembered. How silly of me. I visited your dear father yesterday, and he's decided something."

"You visited Father yesterday?" asked Ian, his curiosity piqued.

"What did he say?" Natalie asked, standing next to her brother.

Arthur smiled at the, in his opinion, quaint memory. "The UN just arrested him."

"He's...arrested?" Now both of his parents were in prison.

"Oh yes. And when I proposed his assets be divided among different charities-" Natalie winced. Nothing was worse than giving peasants money. And losing couture. "-he said, and I quote, 'No! Not the charities! Give them to my children instead!'".

"You mean he actually _gave _us back the fortune? Of his own free will?" Ian found that quite hard to believe.

Arthur nodded. "Correct."

Natalie tugged on her brother's sleeve. "Ian, we're not poor anymore! We're rich again!" A huge smile broke out onto her face, replacing the frown that marred it before.

"Congratulations." Amy managed a small smile.

Ian looked at her, not knowing what to say. Ever since the gauntlet, he had assumed that he and Natalie would have to live in poverty. Or poverty in Kabra standards that is. To this day, Ian still couldn't fathom how people lived off an amount of less than a million. Some weight lifted off his shoulders. Now he could purchase all the Armani suits he wanted, _needed. _The one he has right now is getting a bit out-dated.

Natalie, on the other hand, was all talk. "My goodness, we're billionaires again! I have to go to Newbury Street right now!" She rushed over to Amy. "Amy, you're a billionaire too right? You inherited Grace's fortune?" She nodded, a little afraid of Natalie's exuberance. She had never seen the young Kabra this excited before. "Perfect! We can shop at Prada together! It'll cheer you up!"

Amy plastered a smile on her face. "Sure Natalie." The smile disappeared. "But I have to find Dan first."

"Right." Natalie turned serious, remembering the serum her mother had almost killed her for.

Ian knew he shouldn't interfere in their business, and this was a chance to confront Natalie while she was still drunken on happiness.

"Amy, he's somewhere in here, I'm sure you can find him." Ian reassured.

Amy exhaled. "I guess you're right. Dad, you take the west wing, I'll take the east."

"We'll rendezvous here?"

Amy nodded, and father and daughter set off to find Dan.

After they had gone, Natalie piped up, "It must be a miracle that he survived that fire. I read several newspaper clippings, and they described it as a 'raging inferno.'".

"Natalie, don't forget he was formerly a Vesper. They have the capability to do many things others can't."

"I know that."

"Pushing those thoughts into a small, dark corner in your mind won't help."He looked his sister straight in the eye, to let her know he was serious, and that this wasn't some half-hearted conversation he'd been forced to give. "Mum's going to be gone from our lives forever, and you have to accept that."

"It's hard to," Natalie replied, whispering, as if she were afraid of someone over-hearing. She looked away from his gaze.

"It's natural for it to be hard." Ian leaned against the wall. "The woman raised us for christ's sake."

Natalie had all but give up at avoiding this conversation by now. She sat down on the floor, drawing her knees up to her chin, not caring that she was wrinkling the denim fabric of her designer jeans. Natalie had always found comfort in this position in times of sorrow or after a berating from her mother, though she didn't know why.

"Ian?" she called softly.

"Yes?" Ian looked down at his sister, seeing the vulnerable little girl that she hid behind a cool facade.

"Can we go to Mum's trial? I want to...see her off." Natalie found the last sentence quite hard to say. Here she was, wanting to see her mother one last time. Her mother, who had murdered the Cahill siblings mother. Her mother, who had no doubt cost the lives of so many other individuals. Her mother, who had not cared she had been abducted. Her mother, who had not cared if her actions cost the lives of her own blood.

"Of course." Ian replied. "I'm going to aid them in the search for Dan now."

She nodded. "Good luck."

Before he left, he said," Natalie, there are other people that love us. That love us like an actual family. We're..." He looked at the wall, trying to find the right thing to say. "We're not alone."

And it was true.

* * *

"I thought I would find you in here." Dan's back stiffened at the sound of his father.

"You would always hide in here when you were little." Arthur took a step toward him. "I'd always thought it was because you liked the ninja stars on display in here." He fingered the two items attached to the wall. "You must've loved this room. It looks every bit as it exactly did before the fire."

"Go away," Dan grumbled.

"I'm not going to," Arthur replied, sitting on the bed. "And I want you to know that I'm never going to again."

"Fantastic," Dan said sarcastically, though he was secretly glad.

"I understand that you need some time to comprehend all this, but I need you to know that killing isn't the answer, and it never will be. Okay, fine, it might be necessary in some situations, but most of the time it isn't. Would you be really be fine with annihilating a whole group, Dan? With wiping out people you don't know half about?"

Dan still didn't look at his father. "Yes, I would. They're all evil and they deserve it."

"Some of them don't," Arthur said softly. "Some of them are literally brainwashed into thinking that Vespers are the superior and that Cahills are the weaklings. Like me. I was fascinated at first by the organization and wanted to be a part of it. But then I found out about their true goal and I was disgusted. I denounced myself from the organization completely. I didn't want myself to be affiliated with them in any way."

Dan looked down at the carpet. Truthfully, he wouldn't be okay with annihilating the Vespers. He knew his dad was telling the truth about how some of them were brainwashed into thinking that. Cahills were too, in thinking that their branch was the superior one, and that collecting the 39 Clues was the key into defeating all three other branches.

He heard the springs in the bed move, and he felt Arthur stepping towards him. "Your sister and I only want what's best for you."

Arthur turned around and started for the door, but turned back at the last minute.

"Oh, and Dan?" Dan turned around.

Arthur grinned at him. "Moon face."

And Dan couldn't help the grin that followed.


	13. Chapter 13

**Thank you for reviewing!**

**I don't own the 39 Clues.**

As soon as Dan entered the room, everyone was on him.

"Dan, where were you?"

"-scare me half to death-"

"The serum!"

"How could you?"

"-totally irresponsible!"

"Out of your bloody mind!"

Dan blinked a few times, registering the hubbub around him, then cupped his hands around his mouth.

"EVERYONE, _SHUT UP!"_

The room fell silent after a few seconds.

He held up his hands in mock surrender. "Okay, you got me. I admit, I was trying to make the serum, but I stopped okay. I _stopped. _Ended, halted, ceased, terminated, whatever."

Natalie crossed her arms. "And why did you want to make the serum that everyone in this room almost _died _for?"

Dan lowered his arms back to his sides. "Because I wanted to stop the Vespers. But someone important-" He glanced at his father, who gave him a thumbs-up. "made me realize it was wrong. I'm sorry and I promise it won't ever happen again. If it does, you can all beat me up with cheese. Preferably Swiss."

"Make it the Vieux Boulogne and we're even." Nellie said, a wicked flare in her eyes.

"The what?" Dan replied blankly.

"Oh man! The Vieux Boulogne is only the stinkiest cheese ever! It's flipping _disgusting_!" Jonah made a show of pinching his nose and fanning the air.

"Really? Cool!"

"No, not cool! Horrible, _very _horrible." Nellie said, not expecting that reaction.

Dan erased the smile from his face. "Right. It's so horrible I'm going to die!" He wailed.

Amy laughed. "Welcome back again, Dan."

"It's good to be back."

"Come on Dan!" Hamilton motioned him to come over. "We found a whole batch of slugs near the pond!"

"Yeah!" said Reagan. "I want to go again!"

"They're so cool!" Madison was bouncing up and down with excitement. "Especially when you let them crawl across your hand!"

Ian grimaced. "_Slugs?_"

Amy clasped her face in horror. "No, no, no, no, _no! _I thought the exterminator got rid of them! They're already back?"

"Well, the exterminator obviously didn't do a good job." Nellie grumbled.

Amy shuddered as she remembered waking up to a slug centimeters away from her face, leaving a trail of slime across her favorite book. It was perfect that day; lounging across a comfortable chair in the gazebo with a cool drink to escape from the sweltering summer air, re-reading her favorite book. Almost nothing seemed to break the peace of that day. That is, until she awoke to the ugly thing not even an inch from her nose.

Nellie remembered hearing her high-pitched scream. It was so bloodcurdling, you'd thought she was being murdered or something.

"I'll call the exterminator again," Fiske reassured.

"What are we waiting for? Let's go before he calls!" Dan and the Holts jostled each other as they ran, though Reagan almost pushed him into a vase across the room.

"Wait up!" Atticus ran after him. "I want to study gastropod molluscs too!"

"Atticus, wait! We have to go home!"

"Tell Dad later then!" He called behind his shoulder.

"And there he goes," Jake muttered.

"I'm sure you'll catch up with him later." Amy said.

"Yeah, but I'm going to go with him. I need to make sure he doesn't accidentally drown in the pond or something. After that, we have to go."

"You're leaving today?" Amy inquired.

Jake nodded. "I have to get back to university, and Atticus has to go back to giving lectures."

Amy smiled at him. "Good luck in school then."

He smiled back. "Thanks."

A few weeks ago, that smile would've sent her heart pounding, but it didn't anymore. Any thoughts of establishing a relationship had all but dissipated by now. They were two different people. She was a Cahill and he was just a normal person. Yes he knew about their family, but he would never truly understand what needed to be done to sustain it. Besides, he went to university halfway around the world and he seemed interested in that girl, Andrea.

Jake opened his mouth to say more, but decided against it, and closed it. Maybe it was for the best that he stopped pursuing her.

A few feet away, Natalie observed this. It was certainly a very interesting development. It seems as if the older Rosenbloom sibling had given up trying to gain Amy's affection. She glanced at Ian beside her, and noticed he was staring at anything but the two. She sighed. Why did it always come down to her to fix her brother's romantic problems?

* * *

A few hours later, after an unfortunate incident involving slugs and Madison getting shoved into the pond and the Rosenbloom siblings leaving, she approached her love-smitten brother.

"You're quite dense, aren't you?" Natalie stood in front of him, who was back to reading his book.

Ian looked up and scowled. "Why is it that every time I open this book, _you _have to come along and interrupt?"

"Coincidences Ian."

He sighed, irritated. "What is it now?"

"Why are you wasting your time sitting here, reading a book that can be read later, when you can be winning back your infatuation's heart?"

"I am _not _infatuated with her. It's just merely a crush."

Natalie raised an eyebrow. "A crush? Are you sure?"

"I am absolutely positive."

She shrugged. "Alright, whatever you say." She knew he was lying. There wasn't any other logical explanation of why he stalked her weekly. Natalie crossed her arms. "If you ask me, you should be vying for that boyfriend status you've always coveted, not reading some book."

"Go away, Natalie. I don't need you to interfere with my love life." Ian went back to his book, avoiding the subject.

She huffed. "Fine, be that way, but when Amy Cahill falls through your grasp, don't come crying to me." Natalie stomped out of the room, muttering, "Stupid git," on her way out.

An hour later, while she was enjoying her afternoon tea, Ian wandered onto the patio, looking around.

"Have you seen Amy?"

Natalie smirked. "I've gotten through to you haven't I?"

Ian scowled, but said nothing. She smirked wider, knowing he was taking her advice. "I saw her heading out to the gazebo."

As he walked away, she shook her head. That brother of hers. It took him one and a half years just to proclaim his love for Amy Cahill. Natalie sighed, placing the teacup gingerly back on its respectful plate. Once he came back with her as his girlfriend, some significant changes were going to be implemented. For one, the girl's wardrobe. Honestly, why does she dress up like she's at a funeral every day?

* * *

Amy leaned back contentedly against the soft cushion of the seat. It had been a rather rough morning, what with the incident with her brother and Madison punching him in the face by accident while flailing around, claiming there was a fish in her shirt.

The afternoon was a bit more calm, with the weather matching her mood. She closed her eyes and didn't open them until she heard a rustling in the brush and curses being muttered. Lifting herself up, Amy propped an elbow against the railing of the gazebo, looking for the source of the noise. A moment later, she spotted Ian stumbling out of a bush, trying to smooth his hair. Stifling a laugh as he walked towards her, she asked, "Mind me asking why you were in the bush?"

A scowl marred his handsome features. "I stumbled right into it. Your deranged cat ambushed me while I was taking a stroll."

"Saladin does have the tendency to do that." Amy remembered when Saladin had jumped out at her from a tree last year, almost knocking over the science project she had worked so hard on.

"So what brings you here?" She lifted her elbow from the railing, reverting back to her original position as Ian entered the gazebo.

"Nothing in particular," he said, sitting down on the plush couch beside her. "I just wanted to escape Dan's cries of pain. They're giving me a migraine."

"What would you expect from a thirteen year old boy who got punched by a Holt?"

Ian thought for a moment. "I suppose I would be doing the same."

"Exactly."

"Have you ever thought about signing the Holts up for restraint classes?"

"No, but that is rather a good idea." Amy smiled at the thought, imagining Eisenhower Holt trying to restrain himself. She glanced over at Ian. "You still have some twigs on your back by the way."

The scowl returned. "Your cat hates me with every ounce of his soul."

"Aww, Saladin doesn't hate you." Amy reached over the pick the small branches away. "I'm sure you'll become best friends with him over time." She teased.

"Ha-ha, very funny Amy." The presence of her so near him made his heart beat faster.

"There, all done." She drew back, and Ian felt a spurt of disappointment.

He decided that right then, right there, he was going to give her the speech he'd prepared for her a year and a half ago.

"Amy, I have to tell you something."

"What is it?"

Ian took a deep breath. "Amy Cahill I find you interesting. I know it's completely ridiculous, but I can't keep quiet about it any longer. Your closet looks like it was out together by a blind nun, and your brother acts like a cross between a monkey and a go-kart, and you have the social skills of a rock. Well, not that severe anymore. But, I like you Amy. Quite a bit. So, congratulations." He said this all in one breath.

Ian looked towards Amy for her reaction. She looked quite astounded. And then she burst out laughing. A horrific thought swept over his mind. _What if she thinks this is all a joke? _

"You-are-so," she said in between laughs. She couldn't even get the sentence out.

Ian looked down at Amy. This was most certainly _not _the reaction he had hoped for. Though it was better than the reaction of slapping him clear across the face.

Amy regained her composure after several more rounds of laughter. "Sorry, I lost control of myself there. But you should have seen yourself! It was hilarious!"

"Amy," he said," do you think this was all a joke?"

She held up a finger. "Wait, I didn't finish. I also think it was sweet." She clasped his hand. "I didn't know you had a knack for writing speeches."

"That was the most soul bearing speech I've ever given." He tightened his hand around hers. "Does this mean that we're...dating now?"

"I think it does." She placed her slender fingers on his cheek, caressing his face. " Do you?"

"I most certainly do." He breathed, and he pressed his lips against hers. The kiss lasted several seconds, though it was much longer than the mere brush of the lips in Korea.

After they had separated, Amy leaned her head against his shoulder, head resting on the soft cashmere. They stayed like this for an hour, talking about what their family's expressions would be like after they announce the news tonight.

As the new couple looked towards the setting sun, Ian said, "We should be heading back now. It's almost time for dinner."

"It is?" She reached for his Rolex watch, glancing at the time. "My, how time flies."

Ian rose first, offering his arm to her. Amy slipped hers through his and they walked towards the mansion together. It was a tranquil evening. That is, until a dead slug dropped in front of Amy. The sky filled with birds escaping from the blood-curdling screech.

**Note: Every part of Ian's soul-bearing speech taken from **_**Crushed. **_**I don't know why, but slugs popped into my mind today, so I just decided to put it in here. **


	14. Chapter 14

**SpiritWolf14: Thank you for reviewing! I'm not offended, but this **_**is**_** a story that has amian in it. If you're worried that I'm going to focus every chapter of the story on them, don't worry, I' m not. Yes, some chapters will, but others are going to be about how the other characters are coping. About the story twists, hmmm...haven't really thought of anything yet. Though I might add one in the end. I would gladly accept suggestions if you have any. :)**

**And if anyone else has suggestions, they can PM me or leave it in the review section. **

**Thank you to everyone else who reviewed!**

**I don't own the 39 Clues.**

Sleep eluded Natalie again that night, and it wasn't because Dan had spewed his 'lasagna' all over her favorite couture outfit when the lucky couple announced the news. Tomorrow was her mother's trial. The time went by agonizingly slow, each minute seeming to take an eternity.

Another factor contributing to her insomnia was the storm brewing outside. The wind howled and droplets of rain began falling from the sky, splattering onto the window. Natalie felt her whole body grow rigid with fear. The night was beginning to resemble the night from one of her most frequent nightmares. One where her mother's face emerged from the other side of the window in the middle of a storm, wielding the long, silver knife she always carried. She had had a warm smile on her face, though it made her face seem the more eerie. Her eyes were like a snake's; cold, deadly, and showing no emotion whatsoever.

A flash of lightning lit up the room just then, though the heavy curtains were drawn. Natalie couldn't help but jump at the clap of deafening thunder that followed. Gathering her blanket and pillow, she dashed out of the bedroom and into her brother's across the hall. She half expected her mother to be waiting there with her knife.

Natalie mentally chided herself. _Don't be ridiculous. Tomorrow's her trial. She's in prison, overlooked by highly trained Madrigal guards. She can't escape anymore. She _can't.

The last sentence was more of reassurance to herself than a statement of fact. Throwing open the door, she ran in, tugging the last of the blanket with her. As she closed the door, Ian bolted upright from the bed. Grabbing the tranquilizer gun he kept, he pointed it at the intruder's face.

"Who is it?" he barked.

"Ian," Natalie hissed "It's me!"

"Natalie." He lowered the gun. "Couldn't sleep, eh?"

She shook her head no. Another clap of thunder resounded outside, making her jump again.

Swinging his feet off the bed, he motioned for Natalie to come over. "You can sleep here tonight. I'll go sleep on the couch." She nodded.

Once both siblings were in the aforementioned places, Ian asked, "It's Mum isn't it?" He didn't need to look to know she nodded.

"I see. Good night, Natalie."

"Good night," she whispered.

* * *

Natalie thanked the heavens she didn't have black circles under her eyes the next morning. She rummaged through the closet where some of her clothes were temporarily kept. Picking an all black ensemble, she gave the daily once-over. It was an appropriate outfit for the day at hand.

The wind still had not died down from the night before. The gusts swept across her, cutting into her face, throwing her sleek, black hair about. Shivering, she pulled up her cashmere scarf higher, entering the limousine. A moment later, Ian entered.

"It's quite chilly outside."

Natalie nodded. "It feels more like London."

Ian half-smiled. "It does, doesn't it?"

When they arrived at the courthouse for the hearing, Natalie found herself at the bottom of the stairwell unable to move. Her brother strode ahead of her, not noticing she was lagging behind. Natalie wanted to move, but she felt as if her feet were stuck in cement, the substance holding her in place.

Ian, now noticing that she wasn't present beside him, turned around. "Natalie, are you all right?"

She inhaled deeply, breathing in the chilly, spring air. Steeling herself towards the courthouse, she replied, "I'm all right."

Once inside the courthouse, Natalie surveyed her surroundings. It was the same courthouse as two years ago, with the same judge and lawyers. The only difference was the jury, who had been replaced by a brand new set of jurors. Just as Natalie had finished with scrutinizing everyone's outfits, the judge banged his gavel. "Court in order! Escort the prisoner in."

The double doors opened, revealing her mother flanked by two guards, heralding her into the room. As she came into closer viewing range, she noticed her wrinkles were more prominent. The aftereffects of Botox.

Isabel seated herself beside her lawyer, her face emotionless. "The jury will now announce their decision."

A man in his forties stood up. "In the matter of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts versus Isabel Kabra, we find the defendant guilty of perjury and fraud." Now this man wasn't afraid of looking right at Isabel. He stared at her the whole time he announced the decision, and didn't even back down his gaze once. As the guards handcuffed her, he looked at her in disgust, then shot a pitying glance toward the two siblings.

The judge banged his gavel once more. "The defendant's parole has been revoked. Isabel Kabra, you will remain in prison for eighty-seven years, on charges of first-degree murder, perjury, and fraud. Case dismissed." His black robes billowed behind him as he exited the room.

As her mother was led down the aisle, she stared at her. Natalie knew her mother felt her gaze on her, but she didn't even glance toward her daughter once. Isabel stared straight ahead, ignoring the flashing camera lights of the reporters when through the door.

"Come on." Natalie rose. "Let's go."

As they exited the courthouse, the reporters flocked towards them.

"Ian, Natalie, what do you make of your mother's return to prison?"

"Has she revoked the disownment of you?"

"What happened to your father, Vikram Kabra?"

"Why have you not spoken on the matters of your mother?"

"Do you still love her?"

Natalie stopped in her tracks. Of all the times reporters had burdened her with their trivial questions, this was one she had never been asked before. Turning towards the reporter, she stated firmly, "Yes, I still do."

Natalie descended the marble stairs, with her brother trailing behind her. The reporters began following them, but, thankfully, the Madrigal surveillance team intervened. The team had been sent by Amy to ensure the two Kabras' safety.

Without a word, Ian and Natalie entered the limousine waiting for them on the curb. With a start, she realized she hadn't cried during the trial or wanted to. That was peculiar. Whenever she thought about Mum, much less see her in the flesh, she'd always wanted to shed a tear.

Leaning against the leather seat, she thought tiredly, "Perhaps this was one of the phases of closure I needed."


	15. Chapter 15

**Thank you for reviewing!**

**I don't own the 39 Clues and never will.**

"Dan, I think you should look at this." Sinead called from across the command center.

He groaned. "What is it now? I'm in the middle of Angry Birds."

She turned around in her leather computer chair, green eyes wide. "It's important."

Dan frowned. "Hold on a minute." It only took him a few seconds to win the round, which made him elated. He had set a new record for the fastest round to be completed. Practically skipping over to where Sinead was, he leaned down to look at her laptop.

"What's so important?" As he read the message, his smile disappeared.

* * *

"IAN KABRA, I AM GOING TO CRAZY MURDER YOU!" That was the first thing he was greeted by as he walked through the door. No, "How was the trial," or even a simple, "Hello."

Natalie looked quizzically at her brother. "What did you do Ian?"

He looked back at her and shrugged. "I have no earthly idea."

Dan came barging in from the hallway. "HOW DID YOU EVEN GET MY MAIL IN THE FIRST PLACE? YOU WERE IN ARGENTINA FOR GOD's SAKE!"

"Ah." Now it all came back to Ian. He remembered the post that he had submitted on the Cahill message board.

_Dan—__  
It turns out you're not as much of a barbarian as I thought. You received a card in the mail today, which I took the liberty of opening and transcribing below:_

_Dear Dan,_

_Why haven't you been in school? I've sent you a few texts, but there's been no response. Are you ok? I hope you're not sick! Anyway, if you're back in time, do you want to go to the middle school formal with me? I know you don't like to dance, but I bet you'd look really cute in a suit__:) __  
Xoxo Molly_

He smirked. It was revenge for the little pest snooping through his journal. Acquiring the information in that card was an easy task. He had simply hacked into the post office and checked the Cahills' mail log.

Well, he had to see if they were receiving any threats and if that Tolliver boy was sending Amy any of his horrid poetry anymore. Wouldn't want her to get distracted from her weekly science reports to her teacher. He shuddered, remembering the awful poem he had sent her on Valentine's Day.

_Roses are red_

_Violets are blue_

_I'm so lucky_

_To have a girlfriend like you!_

While he checked the log, he had come across an entry labeled, "From Molly, to Dan. XOXO," with their addresses below. Unfortunately, the card was not an e-card, so he couldn't hack it. Ian was a Lucian though. He had the natural talent of strategizing different ways to acquire his goal. After a few minutes of brainstorming, he had then hacked into the girl's computer to check if she had saved a copy of the content of the card.

After scrolling through essays and emails to others he had found it. Honestly, why did she save a copy of every email she had sent?

Funny though, Dan should've seen the post weeks ago.

Natalie looked back and forth between the two. "What are you two talking about?"

"This," Ian replied, still smirking. He accessed the post on his phone and showed it to Natalie.

"NO! DON'T LOOK AT IT!" Dan tried to lunge for the phone, but Natalie side-stepped and dodged him.

She arched an eyebrow. "Shouldn't you have seen this weeks ago?" She asked, voicing her brother's exact thoughts.

Dan huffed. "You don't get a lot of time to go on the Internet when you're being chased by blood-thirsty Vespers, okay? And YOU!" He pointed his finger towards Ian. "You are going to _pay _for this!"

"What's with all the commotion?" Amy walked in. "I heard you guys from all the way in the living room."

Dan groaned. Now everyone was going to see.

Amy walked over to Ian and kissed him on the cheek. "Welcome back."

He smiled, wrapping an arm around her. "Why hello to you too."

Dan groaned again. "Can't you guys do your lovey-dovey thing somewhere else? It makes me sick. As if yesterday wasn't bad enough."

Natalie smirked. "Dan has got himself a girlfriend. A miracle in and out of itself." She showed Amy the post.

She put a hand to her mouth, stifling a laugh. "I completely forgot about that. I saw it a couple of weeks ago." She looked at her brother. "Congratulations."

"WE'RE NOT DATING!" Dan shouted. "And I am _not _going to the middle school formal with her!"

"Aw, why not? You'll completely crush her heart." Sinead poked her head through the entry.

Dan whipped around. "Oh great, now you!" He threw his hands up in exasperation. "Why not just invite the whole family here right now!"

"Oh, come on. It's just a dance. What harm can it do?" Amy said.

Dan opened his mouth, ready to make a snarky comment, when his phone rang. Taking it out, he grimaced. "Great, just great." He muttered under his breath.

"Oh, what a coincidence. It's Molly." Dan jumped. While he was preoccupied with his phone, Natalie had snuck up behind him. She was now looking over his shoulder at the screen.

Smirking, Natalie said, "I'd take that call if I were you."

Dan grunted and trudged away, leaving his sister and cousins to discuss his supposed "girlfriend."

He passed by his father, who was admiring a Monet that had been a gift from Jonah. Arthur, noticing his son's sulky expression, asked, "Everything okay?"

"Peachy," Dan replied sarcastically.

When he reached the living room, he plopped down onto a leather couch, answering his vibrating cell-phone. "Hello?" he grumbled.

"Hey Dan, it's me!" greeted a bubbly voice.

"Hey Molly."

"Are you okay? You haven't been answering any of my texts and you haven't been in school for a while." she asked, concerned.

"Yeah, I'm okay. Just some...family issues." It did involve the family.

"Oh." Her voice carried a hint of suspicion, but was immediately replaced with her usual enthusiastic tone. "So did you get my card?"

"I did."

"And?" Molly prompted. "Will you go to the middle school formal with me?"

"I, uh, um." Dan's words stumbled out. He had no idea what to say.

After a moment's pause, Molly said, "It's a no right?" Her voice was laced with disappointment.

"Actually, I was going to say yes." The sentence blurted out of his mouth before he could stop it. Dan clapped his free hand over his mouth, afraid he was going to say more.

"Really!" she squealed. "Oh my gosh! I thought you were going to say no! I have to go now. See you on Friday Dan! Bye!"

"Bye," he replied weakly. Dan hung up, dropping his cell phone. He banged his head against the coffee table, immediately regretting it a split second later.

Rubbing the sore spot situated on his forehead, he thought, "What did I just get myself into?"

**Note: I got Ian's post from the 39 Clues website. **


	16. Chapter 16

**Thank you for reviewing!**

**I don't own the 39 Clues.**

Sinead stared at the screen, engrossed in the message Dr. Shallit had sent her. She rubbed her eyes once more to make sure she wasn't hallucinating. She wasn't, which was a relief. This was a major breakthrough for a cure for blindness, as well as stem-cell research.

Sinead's mind raced. Her brother's disability could be ridded of after all. If it could, it would be wondrous. He would be back again; the same old Ted as before the clue hunt. In the midst of her thoughts, Alistair burst into the command center.

"Sinead! Did you receive the message from Dr. Shallit?"

Sinead nodded joyously, her face breaking into a wide smile. "I did!"

"This is wonderful! We have to inform your brother right away!"

"Of course." Jumping out of her chair, she raced down the stairs to her brother's room. "Ted!" She flung open the door.

Ted was perched on his chair as usual, reading. His fingers moved swiftly across the Braille code. "Geez, haven't you ever heard of knocking Sinead?"

"Sorry about that." Sinead apologized. "But this is incredibly important!" She took a deep breath. "Dr. Shallit said your blindness has a possibility of being cured!"

Ted stopped in his reading. "What?" he said in disbelief. "But how? I thought he said it was nearly impossible."

"He did, but there was a recent breakthrough in stem-cell research. Scientists removed tissue from the patients' eyes with regenerative stem cells, and then multiplied them in the laboratory on a contact lens. Afterwards, they placed it on the patient's eye and the stem cells began multiplying and 'patched' the injury. A few weeks later, they saw the light again. Isn't that incredible?" Sinead exclaimed.

Ted nodded. "Quite impressive."

"The thing is," Sinead began, but she trailed off.

Ted caught on right away. "The thing is, is that there's only a possibility right?"

"Yes." Sinead sighed. "Dr. Shallit said it's only a twenty percent chance."

Ted set aside his book. "Tell him I'll agree to this process. I'll give it a try."

"Good. We should remain optimistic!"

Ted shook his head. "No, we shouldn't."

His sister's smile wilted. "Why not?"

"Because I don't want to get our hopes up. There's an eighty percent of the process not working Sinead. That's more than three fourths of the possibility."

Sinead crossed her arms. "So? I don't care if it's twenty percent or one percent Ted. The point is, it _can _work. If you don't want to believe it, fine, be that way. But you can't tell me what to do, and if I want to get my hopes up, so be it."

"You can't argue against statistics Sinead." Ted replied calmly, unperturbed by his sister's cross voice.

Sinead's eyes narrowed, frustrated by how Ted viewed the situation. She stormed out of the room, but not before stating, "We're Cahills Ted. Statistics don't apply to us."

* * *

Atticus sat on the couch in their house in Boston, with his knees drawn up to his chin. He stared absentmindedly at the Aztec architecture documentary, his blinking the only thing that gave away that he was in fact human, and not a robotic contraption. He was so engrossed in his thoughts he didn't even notice his brother had walked into the room.

"Hey Atticus?" Jake called warily from the doorway. When Atticus didn't respond, Jake shouted into his ear, "Atticus!"

"Whoa!" Atticus flung one of his lanky arms up in surprise, which connected with Jake's jaw.

"Ow!" Jake shouted, stumbling and colliding with the lamp behind him.

"Oops." Atticus helped his brother up. "Sorry about that."

"It's okay." Jake rubbed his head. He had bonked it on the floor. If it hadn't been carpeted, the injury would have been much worse. "What were you thinking about anyway?"

"About how it's _his _trial tomorrow."

"Right." Dave Speminer's trial was set tomorrow.

Jake put his hand on his younger brother's shoulder. "Don't worry Atticus. No one is going to believe he's innocent. There's too much evidence. He'll most definitely be found guilty of all charges."

Atticus sighed. "Yeah. Dad said he was coming too right?"

Jake nodded. "And then we have to go to McIntyre's funeral the day after."

"I still can't believe McIntyre's dead. He always seemed untouchable."

"Everyone is Atticus. The one thing we know is that the Vespers can get to anyone."

Atticus drew his knees up to his chin again. "I hope it's all over soon."

"It will," Jake reassured.

* * *

_Los Angeles, California _

The bang of the gavel resounded across the court room.

"Camille Wizard, you are hereby sentenced to fifty years in prison on accounts of burglary, being an accomplice in a homicide, espionage, and perjury. Case dismissed."

Broderick and Leila Wizard watched as their sister was led down the center aisle past all the spectators.

Phoenix had wanted to attend the arraignment of his aunt, but his mother had deemed that the experience would be too traumatizing for him seeing that Camille was the one who had coordinated his kidnapping in Tokyo.

As Camille was led down, she made eye contact with Broderick. Broderick couldn't be sure, but he had thought the look had said, "This isn't over yet."

He shook his head, clearing his mind of the thought. It seemed that the Vespers would forever haunt his mind.

* * *

"What is the meaning of this?" Arthur Trent shouted at the screen. "Why was Vikram not sentenced to prison?"

"Arthur, calm down," Nataliya called sharply. "I told you I would explain."

"There is no explanation for this Nataliya! How dare you interfere with the due process of court! You paid off the jurors! _You _set a murderer free!" He jabbed his finger at the elegant woman, whose image was blown up on the ceiling to floor screen.

She held up a hand, interrupting his rant. "Let me explain first."

Arthur fumed. "I look forward to this so called _explanation_."

Nataliya tapped something on her computer, and a map appeared with rates of Vesper activity on it.

"There has been a rise of Vesper activity around the globe recently."

"Disturbing, but I don't see how this is related to the matter at hand."

"Arthur, there hasn't been such a rise since World War Two, when they were looting treasures all across Europe. Need I mention they almost achieved world domination during the war?"

"Hmmph." Arthur crossed his arms. "The Axis Powers were fools."

"The rates indicate something's brewing, something malicious." Her Russian accent made the words seem more formidable. "And I don't like it one bit."

"That is why I have set Vikram free. If it were any other time, I would enjoy watching him be found guilty, but I sense that we will need all the help we can get for this upcoming...situation." Nataliya pulled up a copy of an invitation.

"This is an invitation I have created to the world's most talented and knowledgeable Cahills. I advise you to distribute it to them at the memorial service."

The printer hummed to life, a copy emitting from it. Arthur lifted it up to eye level. "The Cahill leaders hereby invite you to a conference at the Grand Hall beginning at six P.M." He read.

Nataliya laced her fingers together. "I have already spoken to Cora, Alistair, Ian, Fiske, and your daughter. Mind you, it wasn't an easy task getting hold of that Janus. Branch leaders have been enemies for decades, and yet this group all reached a mutual agreement that this is a good idea."

Arthur threw the paper aside. "Fine, but if you are wrong, it will be on your head." His tone was menacing, but it didn't affect Nataliya. She had faced far more dangerous people.

**Citation for blindness cure: **

**Hough, Andrew. "Eye Implant Breakthrough: Scientific Advances towards Blindness Cure."**_** . **_**. The Telegraph, 3 Nov. 2010. Web. 26 June 2012. . .**

**To **_**The Telegraph**_**: Please don't send your lawyers after me. I cited it, though it wouldn't show up properly. **


	17. Chapter 17

**JGS39: You'll see. **

**SpiritWolf39: I don't post messages on the message board, but I do have an account. I just go on it to activate the cards from the books and do the missions. My younger sibling occasionally goes on it to play some games, but other than those nothing else. Just found out the suspects for Vesper Three were Evan, Sinead, Ian, Jake, Jonah, and Hamilton. Oh well, I guess I'll have to twist some things around in my story to accommodate that...:) Thanks for reviewing by the way!**

**SyberianQuest: Wow, I didn't even realize I made that many errors. Thanks for pointing them out! I gotcha on the hinting at something else thing. It would be quite boring if I were just detailing how they coped with the aftermath, wouldn't it? I've always wanted to get into the nastiness of Cahill/Vesper business. The books don't show it a lot, but they have to tone it down for the little kids. Aw, I don't think you're a horribly harsh critic. You're just pointing out errors to improve others' writing skills. Thank you for reviewing! :)**

**Thank you to everyone else who reviewed! **

**I don't own the 39 Clues. Or Ben and Jerry's. :( **

"Good morning darling." Ian kissed Amy's cheek as he sat down at the dining table.

She smiled up at him.

"Good morning."

Dan groaned from across the table. "It's even worse than when you were with Evan." He put his head on the table, crossing his arms underneath.

"Well someone's in a grumpy mood today." Nellie placed his breakfast in front of him. Dan lifted his head at the delicious smell wafting from the plate.

"Hey, don't blame me. I have a dance to go to today _and _I didn't get enough sleep." He jabbed his fork through the buttered toast and took a big bite.

Nellie sat down next to him. "What were you doing all night?"

"Playing video games." Hamilton said, taking a seat. His eyes had purple bags underneath them. "Ninja Gaiden just came out with their Wii version. It was awesome!"

Ian rolled his eyes, picking up his cup of coffee. "I can't fathom why people choose to spend their night playing those video games instead of getting a good night's rest."

Dan shrugged. "Not our fault your such a priss." He clasped his hands together, putting them next to his cheek. "_Oh_," he said in what he thought was a falsetto. "I need to get my beauty sleep, or else I'll get wrinkles. The horror!"

Natalie flipped her silky hair behind her. "That is a horrible British accent. Why don't you learn how to master it first before using it?"

Dan sneered. "And why would I want to sound like you two bums?"

"We're not bums! We're rich again!"

He waved his hand in dismissal. "Whatever you say." He smirked. "Bum."

"Ugh!" Natalie bolted upright from her chair, reaching her hands over the table as if she were getting ready to strangle him.

"Hey, hey, hey! Knock it off!" Nellie yanked Dan from his chair before Natalie could get to him while Ian and Amy were restraining her.

"He started it!" Natalie pointed a finger at Dan. In response, he stuck out his tongue.

"Dan!" Amy called sharply. "Quit it!"

He crossed his arms. "Whatever, I'm going."

"Uh, uh, uh." Nellie tutted. "You're not going anywhere mister. At least, not until you apologize."

Dan gave his best, "I am going to kill you," look. Nevertheless he still apologized. "Sorry."

Natalie raised her chin. "Apology accepted."

"Sorry for you being such a spoiled brat! HA!" He ran out of the room laughing like a madman.

"DAN!" Nellie ran after him.

"Your brother is a psycho." Hamilton remarked, who had been a spectator of the whole scene unfolding.

"Tell me about it," Amy muttered.

* * *

After the verdict had been delivered, Atticus and Jake Rosenbloom sat at a cafe, listlessly twirling around the whipped cream on their pastries. Their father had gone back to his office.

"So he's gone for good?" Atticus asked, though he knew the answer already.

Jake nodded. "Yeah. He won't be coming out of his prison cell anytime soon."

He looked back down at his pastry. "You think Mom would have been proud of us? For what we did?"

His brother smiled. "Att, we help stopped the Vespers from achieving world domination. I think everyone is proud of us."

"Minus the Vespers," Atticus quipped.

"And that." Jake's piece of cake was now drooping forlornly over to one side. He pushed it away, a grimace on his face. "Want to get some other food?"

Atticus dropped his fork back onto the plate. "Yeah. I smushed my pastry into a pancake."

"Remember when you were little, and you accidentally smacked Dad's piece of cake onto his cheek?" Jake chuckled at the memory.

"How could I forget? Everyone at the party was staring at me. Numero tres on my most embarrassing moments' list."

"Dad me babysit you after that. One of the greatest challenges of my life was keeping a three year old prodigy occupied."

"Oh I remember that. You were a pretty horrible babysitter."

"What are you talking about? I'm the greatest babysitter ever. I notice everything."

A shame he didn't notice the man discreetly snapping photographs of them.

* * *

"How about this?"

"Eugh."

"This?"

"Agh."

"_This_?"

"No."

"Seriously Dan?" Nellie threw the dress shirt onto a whole pile of others in frustration. She huffed, placing her hands on her hips.

"Come on," Dan groaned. "Can't I just wear this shirt?"

Nellie narrowed her eyes. "No, you are _not _going to wear a T-shirt and jeans to a dance."

"Awwwwww." He curled up into a ball, putting on his pouting face.

"Yes you are. You made a commitment."

"Too bad."

The now overly exasperated Nellie Gomez crossed her arms and used her "don't make me do this" tone.

"You are going to that dance, mister, or I am going to drug you, deck you head to toe with Armani from Ian's closet, and personally drag you to the school!"

"Ok, ok!" Dan reverted to a sitting position. "Geez, calm down woman."

"Now that that's settled, this one or this one?" Nellie held up a cream, silk dress shirt, and a regular stark white one in the other.

Dan blanched at the silk one. "That shirt." He pointed to her right.

"Finally, we're getting to a start." After five minutes of choosing, Dan emerged from the bathroom in a traditional suit.

"I feel weird," he complained. "The collar is slowly choking me to death."

Nellie walked over to him, loosening it. She then walked in a circle around him, observing the suit.

Dan took a step back warily. "Nellie? You're looking at me like a lion looking at its meal."

"Calm down. I'm just observing the suit for little stuff." She reached over and snipped off a piece of string from the shirt. "Like that."

Dan lifted up his arm. "Seriously? Just for string?"

"Everyone wants to look perfect on their first big dance!" She looked at the grumpy look on his face. "Fine, most people."

"Okay then, I'm getting out of this death trap now."

"Oh no, you don't." Nellie blocked him from the bathroom door. "You're not going to ruin what took me two hours to perfect."

"Nellie! The dance isn't until seven, which is," he glanced at the clock," three hours!"

"Back to the seat," she ordered firmly.

Dan stomped his way to the seat, knowing there was no other way around her.

"It won't be that bad." She sat next to him. "Tell you what, afterwards I'll take you to that Ben and Jerry's parlor."

He lifted up his head. "You mean the one I was banned from two months ago?"

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure a little incentive will clear that up right away."

"You got that right. It's been a pretty long time since I've eaten Cherry Garcia."

"If you go through the whole night without complaining or pranks, I'll let you buy a whole _tub _of Cherry Garcia to bring home afterwards."

He raised an eyebrow. "You're not joking?"

"Nope. One hundred percent serious."

"Deal!" He was speculative a few seconds ago, since the last time that happened he had gone into a sugar rush that lasted until the wee hours of morning. Needless to say, Fiske had banned it after a sleepless night. He smiled. She must really want him to behave and not accidentally set the building on fire with his bottle rockets. Ah, bribery, it always works.

* * *

The sound of footsteps echoed across the dim empty hallway as a man walked briskly with a file in his hand. He stopped in front of a door that was splintering. "Permission to come in?" he asked in a small voice that matched the eerie atmosphere. After a few seconds, the sound of an air lock being opened sounded and the man twisted the knob.

He walked into the room that one would not expect based on the door's appearance. It was elegant, with a soft red carpet placed in the center of the room. Tapestries covered one wall and on the other were built-in shelves lined with a collection of books that had, no doubt, cost a fortune to collect. A large crystal chandelier hung at the center of the ceiling, reflecting a yellow, orange light from the fireplace.

The man stopped in front of an ornate desk. Behind it was a leather chair that had been turned around so that the occupier could not be seen. More files, folders, and documents covered the desk in tidy piles.

"Have the plans been set?" The occupier of the seat spoke through a voice modifier.

"Yes, all plans have been reviewed and set. All agents are in place as well." The man was visibly tense, though it didn't show through in his voice.

"And the file?"

"The file has been secured." He placed it on the desk, next to a jar of dark, red liquid that resembled blood. The man gulped, discreetly wiping the sweat gathering in his hands. Even though the occupier couldn't see him, he didn't want to take any chances.

"Good. Only make the move when I give you the signal. You may go now Signor Costa."

"As you wish." The man performed a formal bow and walked briskly back out the room.

Once he had left, the wall facing the mysterious person flickered to life. What the man had thought was black paint was actually a screen. After a few seconds, an enlarged coat of arms flickered on, a V emblazoned on it.

"It's time."

**Who do you think is Vesper Three? Sinead, Evan, Jake, Ian, Jonah, or Hamilton? **


End file.
